In the Ind VS SL T20 International, Hardik Pandya divided netizens by singing Sri Lanka’s national anthem amid his poor form. While some Twitter users came down hard on Pandya and claimed that he was playing for the benefit of the opposition, some appreciated his gesture of singing the Sri Lankan National Anthem. The 27-year-old all-rounder is not new in making buzz, thanks to his flamboyant attitude and his controversial statements.

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1. Details
2. Pandya and the Sri Lanka National Anthem Incident
3. Watch Hardik Pandya Singing Sri Lanka National Anthem
4. Twitter Divided – Netizens React on Pandya Singing SL National Anthem
5. Pandya Wins Hearts of Fans, Gifts Karunaratne his Bat
6. Ind VS SL 1st T20 Highlights

Details

Right-arm aggressive all-rounder Hardik Pandya is no stranger to creating news. From his Koffee with Karan “Main Kar Ke Aaya” statement, to him making misogynistic statements in the same interview, Pandya has been a flamboyant player – both on and off the field.

The 27-year-old all-rounder has made his way into both the arguably strongest international cricketing team and the strongest Indian Premier League franchise (IPL). But his recent form in both the teams is nothing short of concerning.

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Pandya and the Sri Lanka National Anthem Incident

However, in the last India VS Sri Lanka T20 International, which was played on Sunday, July 25, Pandya’s gesture amid his poor form has divided his fans. In the T20 game, the two teams had lined up for the pre-match National Anthem ceremony.

According to the rules, the Indian National Anthem was played first, as the Indian side was playing as guests. After the Indian anthem, the Sri Lankan anthem was played, as they were the hosts. Interestingly enough, during the national anthem of the hosts, opposition player – and our player in question in this story, Hardik Pandya was also seen singing the same.

As the Sri Lankan side sang their anthem ‘Namo Namo Mata’, the cameraperson decided to swing the camera towards Indian side, and found the all-rounder singing alongside his competitors. This gesture divided the netizens – with some appreciating the fact that Pandya respected the other team and their national anthem, while others saying that he was playing for the Sri Lankan side.

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Watch Hardik Pandya Singing Sri Lanka National Anthem

Twitter Divided – Netizens React on Pandya Singing SL National Anthem

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Pandya Wins Hearts of Fans, Gifts Karunaratne his Bat

It’s safe to say that Pandya evoked reactions from every cricket fan that sat on the either side of the team. Meanwhile, right around the time of him singing the Sri Lankan national anthem got viral, another gesture picked up momentum.

Before the match, the all-rounder gave his bat to Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. Karunaratne himself took to Instagram and shared the image of him receiving the bat and wrote “Absolutely honoured to have received a bat from my role model @hardikpandya93, on my T20 debut. You are an amazing human being and I am truly touched by your thoughtful gesture. I’ll never forget this day. May God bless you always!”

On Twitter, netizens too lauded Pandya’s gesture

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Ind VS SL 1st T20 Highlights

In the first T20 of the 3-match series between India and Sri Lanka, India registered a thumping victory against the hosts. Batting first, India got off to a jittery start with Prithvi Shaw getting out for the duck. However, skipper Dhawan (46) balanced the boat and with the help of Suryakumar Yadav, took his team towards a challenging total (50).

After the duo’s dismissal, the Indian team suffered a tragic halt. In its last 6 overs, the team could only manage to score 51 runs and the main culprit of this standstill was all-rounder-in-question Hardik Pandya. Much akin to his previous games, Pandya looked rusty and could only score 10 runs of 12 balls before getting out. Somehow, India managed to pose a respectable total of 164/5.

Chasing 165, Sri Lankan team was regularly battered by the Indian bowling assault and none of its players could survive for long. Owing to the regular wicket fall, Sri Lanka collapsed at 126 with Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking 4 wickets. Pandya in his 2 overs conceded 17 runs and could only take 1 wicket.