'Stand-and-deliver doesn't work': Irfan Pathan explains why Hardik Pandya's spark vanished in 2nd T20I

NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's subdued knock in the second T20I against South Africa has drawn sharp criticism, with former all-rounder Irfan Pathan dissecting in detail why the big-hitter failed to replicate his match-winning brilliance from the series opener. Hardik, who struck a game-changing fifty in Cuttack, managed just 20 off 23 balls in Mullanpur on Thursday as India crashed to a 51-run defeat while chasing 214.

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Walking in at a tense moment when India needed a momentum surge, Hardik struggled to find any rhythm, managing only a single six and otherwise failing to clear the field — a stark contrast to the fluency he displayed in the first T20I. Pathan, reacting on X, argued that the pitch played the biggest role in Hardik's drop in impact.




“It's amazing how the game works. Just a day ago, on a different pitch, Hardik looked solid,” Pathan wrote. “But on a surface that offered something for the bowlers, his stand-and-deliver style didn't click, because when the pitch lacks pace or bounce, you've got to move your feet.”

Pathan stressed that Hardik appeared comfortable on the truer surface in Cuttack, but the slower, inconsistent Mullanpur track exposed the limitations of his stroke-making approach. The inability to adapt, he suggested, cost India crucial momentum in a steep chase where they needed him to counter-attack.

The former India star also pointed to broader concerns within the batting group, singling out Shubman Gill's ongoing lean patch in T20Is. “Shubman Gill's T20I form is a big worry ahead of the T20 World Cup. Hopefully he finds his touch soon, otherwise it could turn into a real catch-22 situation for Team India,” he posted earlier in the day.

Pathan further highlighted structural issues India must fix quickly. “Shubman Gill & Surya Kumar's form? 13 full tosses today while bowling. How to negate that? These are the questions Team India needs to answer going forward.”

With the series now level and the next World Cup looming, India's batting form — and Hardik's adaptability — will be under intense scrutiny in the remaining matches.


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