Hardik Pandya shined with the bat in the final ODI of the three-match series against Australia as he scored an unbeaten 92, steering India's total to 302/5. The side was in a spot of bother after being reduced to 152/5 at one stage, with captain Virat Kohli (63) being dismissed by Hazlewood.
However, Pandya, along with Jadeja (66*), added 150 runs for the sixth wicket as they took India's score past the 300-run mark.
In the mid-innings break, Pandya talked about the innings and also reflected on his bowling stint in the second ODI of the series. The Indian player hadn't bowled for over a year since taking the ball against Australia on Sunday, and said that he did feel "sore" as he returned to bowling in international cricket.
"It was for the team (about bowling in the last game)," Pandya said. "(It was) not planned and it was a bit sore to be honest. Don't think I'll bowl today (chuckles)," Pandya said.
Hardik Pandya didn't bowl throughout the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League, and was included in the first ODI solely as a batsman.
Talking about his innings, the Indian batsman said that it wasn't an easy start, but he gained confidence after a number of big overs towards the ending stages of the innings.
"Had to fight it out in the middle, it wasn't easy to start," Pandya said.
"When we had those couple of good overs and got some momentum we started believing. We were probably thinking 250-270, but that's the beauty of the game. When you try to score 70 you end up getting 90. You gotta keep guessing in these conditions with bigger boundaries and I knew there were going to be plenty of short balls."
India have already lost the three-match series and will aim to prevent a clean sweep with a consolation victory in the final ODI.
