Pandya’s brutality, Kishan’s elegance, and the colourful food coupons

By K.R. Nayar
From Arun Jaitley Stadium

Delhi. Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan turned Thursday evening at the Arun Jaitley Stadium into a festival of fearless stroke play. They gifted India a 93-run win. Kishan’s batting was like that of a man who was set free to go out and enjoy hitting freely. It was a treat to watch his footwork and the elegant swing of his bat that makes the ball slice through the gap on its way to the boundary. When he drove on the up, the ball sped across the turf as if pulled by an invisible string. He executed his pull not with brute force alone but with exquisite timing. What makes Kishan special is his audacity. He rules over the bowlers. His 61 off 24 balls set the stage for India’s victory. He got many hoping that India might break the record for the highest total. 

Pandya, the street fighter

Pandya walked in to the field with a swagger. He his aware of his role as a finisher, and he finished off Namibia’s hopes of restricting India to a total below 200. His batting mantra was not to build an innings slowly, but to play as if he had detonated a bomb. He gives the impression of a street fighter. His stance is relaxed, but his backlift is high. When he hit the ball, it soared into the Delhi night sky and landed amidst the crowd. The manner in which he strikes with surgical brutality is a treat to watch. Pandya and Kishan are representatives of a new generation, unfazed by pace, bounce, or any bowler. Their total for Namibia to chase seemed like a huge mountain. And Namibia surrendered meekly.

A fan wearing a rare Hardik Pandya jersey. Photo by K.R. Nayar  

Pandya’s team jersey

Although Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from the T20 format and are not part of the Indian playing eleven, fans do not seem willing to accept their retirement and continue to wear jerseys with the names of these two legends. Even those selling team jerseys find that Kohli and Rohit jerseys are the best sellers. In fact, there were not many jerseys bearing the name of captain Suryakumar Yadav. So, amidst it all, it was heartening to find a Hardik Pandya jersey worn by a fan.

Practice hits towards Amarnath and Bedi stands

On both sides of the stadium are the Mohinder Amarnath and Bishen Bedi stands. Pandya always loves to play lofted shots during practice, and the ball kept landing in the Amarnath Stand. The India-Namibia match was played on the day G. R. Viswanath turned 77. It was at this venue that he played two classic knocks – 131 against Australia in 1979 and 107 against England in 1981.

Namibians know Indians well

An Indian fan couldn’t help but chuckle when he read Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus speaking about facing Team India. Erasmus had said: “We’re no strangers to the Indian players. We see them on TV a lot — in the IPL and in international cricket — so you kind of know who you’re going to face.”

The humour lay in the irony. Like millions around the world, the Namibians may have watched Indian cricketers on television and even seen them endorsing products in advertisements. But familiarity from a screen is very different from facing them in the middle. For all the visibility, they have never actually played against India. Not many may know that the Namibian cricket team are known by the nickname “the Eagles.”

The colourful food coupons for the Delhi matches 

Colourful food coupons

The food coupons at the stadium were very attractive. They had drawings of cricket and cricketers for snacks and lunch for the Namibia-Netherlands match, and dinner for the Namibia-India match. The sizzling hot samosas and cheese pakodas were ideal for the weather that was hovering between 13 and 15 degrees. Delhites are very particular that their food is served hot, and hence hot rotis and naan ( Indian bread) were served for lunch and dinner. The food was different from that in Mumbai where there were more of the Indian fast foods  like pav bhaji and bhel puri. Although Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s favourite dish, vada pav, did not feature in the menu in Delhi, one did get to enjoy the spongy dhoklas.