Finally, someone said it: AB de Villiers thrilled as Harsha Bhogle plays down Tilak Varma 49 controversy
Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers has backed celebrated broadcaster Harsha Bhogle’s take on the ‘obsession’ with individual milestones in T20I cricket. Harsha Bhogle took to social media to share his views after Hardik Pandya faced flak for hitting a winning six in the 3rd T20I against the West Indies on August 8, leaving young Tilak Varma stranded on 49.
The bone of contention is the incident where Indian captain Hardik Pandya hit a winning six, leaving his teammate Tilak Varma stranded on 49 runs. This decision by Pandya has sparked a heated debate among fans and critics alike, with many accusing him of denying Tilak Varma the opportunity to score his second consecutive half-century for India.
The match, which took place on August 8th, 2023, saw India secure a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies. However, the win was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Pandya’s decision. As the game neared its conclusion, Varma was batting at 49, and India needed just two runs to win. Instead of allowing Varma to score the winning runs and reach his half-century, Pandya chose to hit a six, thereby ending the game and leaving Varma stranded one run short of his milestone.
This move by Pandya was met with widespread criticism from fans and pundits. Many took to social media to express their disappointment.
“I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn’t a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don’t believe 50s should be recorded in individual stats in T20 cricket. If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters,” Harsha Bhogle said in a tweet.
Notably, former India opener Aakash Chopra had also expressed surprise at Hardik Pandya hitting the winning six when 2.1 overs were left in the chase. Chopra, however, pointed out that Hardik’s six might have been a message to the T20I team about the culture he wants to build in the team.
