Hardik Pandya lit up the Asia Cup 2025 with a sensational one-handed blinder in the dead-rubber against Oman where India were on the verge of suffering a massive upset.
Pandya took the all-important catch of Oman opener Aamir Kaleem, who looked in good touch with his fighting half-century. It was the 18th over of the innings when Oman was cruising towards a shock upset over India, and Kaleem flicked Harshit Rana over fine leg, where Pandya grabbed a blinder. It turned out to be a crucial catch as India avoided the upset and won the match by 21 runs in Dubai.
An unseen angle of the video has now surfaced on social media, where seconds before taking the catch, Hardik was having a word with the support staff member near the boundary rope. As soon as he saw the ball in the air, he accelerated and raced towards it to grab a one-handed stunner and managed his balance well near the rope.
Hardik also bowled the crucial penultimate over, where he gave away just six runs and claimed the big wicket of Hammad Mirza for 51. The star all-rounder pulled India back in the game with the all-important catch and economical spell of 1/26 in his four overs.
Meanwhile, he was unlucky to be run out for 1 when Sanju Samson’s shot off Jiten Ramanandi deflected off the bowler’s follow-through onto the stumps, catching him off-guard while he was out of the crease.
“You cannot keep Hardik Pandya away from the game”: Suryakumar Yadav
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised Pandya’s all-round efforts despite an unfortunate dismissal, highlighting his impactful bowling and fielding and noting that such contributions always earn him credit.
“It is unfortunate but you cannot keep him away from the game. The way he bowled and fielded, he gets a plus one for that,” Surya said in the post-match presentation.
Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson top-scored with 56 and his second-wicket partnership with explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who made 38 off 14 balls, lay the platform for India’s total.
India and Sri Lanka finished the group stage unbeaten with three victories apiece, while Pakistan and Bangladesh also secured their spots in the Super 4 stage.