IND vs SL: Hardik Pandya’s unique record

India were off to a winning start in a last-ball thriller against Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Struggling with the bat in the first innings, Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel scripted a comeback for India. Chasing 163, Sri Lanka were agonisingly close but fell short by two runs. Hardik Pandya, who is leading India in the T20I series, created a unique record in the first over itself.

Leading from the front

India entered the field with seven bowling options including captain Hardik Pandya himself. The captain decided to take matters into his own hands and stepped up to bowl the opening over. He provided a perfect start to India’s defence as he conceded only three runs in the first over. The all-rounder finished with a spell of 0/12 in three overs. By bowling the first over, he joined an elite club.

Hardik Pandya became the first-ever Indian captain to deliver the opening over in a T20I match. In 1952, Lala Amarnath had become the first Indian skipper to bowl the first over in a Test match. This took place in the Lucknow Test against Pakistan. Kapil Dev became the first to do so in ODIs as he took the ball against Sri Lanka in Amritsar back in 1982.

However, Hardik is not the only Indian captain to do so in recent times. Jasprit Bumrah, who was the stand-in captain for India in the 5th Test against England in 2022, bowled the opening over India in Birmingham. Hardik is now the latest entrant in this illustrious list.