"It was special and thank you": Hardik Pandya after winning against Afghanistan on his 30th birthday

New Delhi [India], October 12 (ANI): Following India's eight-wicket win against Afghanistan in the ninth ODI World Cup match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, star allrounder Hardik Pandya celebrated his 30th birthday with his teammates in the dressing room.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a small glimpse of the birthday celebration on their official X account.
"For the birthday boy from #TeamIndia From the birthday boy to everyone," BCCI wrote on X while sharing the video.
https://x.com/BCCI/status/1712180017151750409?s=20
While speaking in the video, the 30-year-old thanked everyone for the birthday wishes. He later added that it was a special moment for him to play on his birthday.
"Thank you everyone for the wishes. It means a lot for me to play on my birthday for the first time in my life. It was special and thank you to the fans and my teammates for showing so much love," Pandya said in the video.
In the match against Afghanistan, Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets in his seven-over spell and gave away 43 runs. Pandya did not have to come to the crease since the top Indian batting lineup made no mistake during the run chase.
In the first inning, Afghanistan gave a target of 273 runs after Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai played a knock of 80 and 62 runs respectively.
In the second inning, Indian opener Rohit Sharma played a stellar knock of 131 runs from 84 balls to take the Men in Blue to a comfortable position in the game. Following Rohit's dismissal, Virat Kohli took charge of the game and scored 55 runs from 56 balls and slammed a four to clinch a win at his home ground.
In the upcoming encounter, the Men in Blue will square off against Pakistan at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. (ANI)