Hardik Pandya becomes the first Indian skipper to take a wicket while leading in T20Is

The Hardik Pandya juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down as he led India to victory against Ireland in his first-ever game as the Indian captain. The all-rounder had an impressive outing for the Blues as he scored a quickfire 24 with the bat after picking a wicket in his two overs with the ball. The solitary wicket has put Pandya’s name in the record books as he became the first-ever Indian captain to bag a wicket in a T20I match.

The all-rounder bowled the second over of the innings and dismissed the dangerous Paul Stirling after being hit for a boundary on the first delivery. The wicket meant that the 28-year-old has now become the only Indian captain with a wicket to his name in a T20I match. Pandya is the ninth player to lead India in the shortest format after the likes of Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rishabh Pant who have led the national side in this format before the flamboyant all-rounder.

None of the previous eight captains picked up a wicket in the format, and although Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Rohit Sharma had picked up wickets in this format, none of them came in their captaincy stints. Pandya’s latest achievement further states his importance to this team as he can contribute to every aspect of the game. The 28-year-old is also touted as a future captain for the Indian team with his increasing influence in the game.

Meanwhile, he will be keen on continuing his good form as an all-rounder keeping in mind the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. If it happens, India have a very good chance of going all the way this year.