Hardik Pandya Equals Virat Kohli in Massive T20 World Cup Milestone

ByAnupam Pandey,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 4:49 PM

Hardik Pandya has now levelled with Virat Kohli for a massive T20 World Cup milestone. Kohli dominated for India in the T20 World Cup for a long time, till he retired in 2024 in this format. And now Hardik Pandya has levelled his record which he created back in 2016.

The T20 World Cup is also not safe as of now, as several records are being levelled in the same. One of them has now been done by Hardik Pandya in the game against Namibia. While the Indian team had gone to win the game one-sided, Hardik Pandya received the POTM award for his all-round performances.

He was able to contribute for the team with both bat and ball, like he always used to do. Scoring a fifty in the T20 WC makes you a good batsman, while taking a wicket makes you a good bowler. But Hardik was fantastic in this game, as he achieved both of them against Namibia. Before him, only one player was able to achieve this, and it was Virat Kohli.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is the second Indian player to have scored a fifty and taken a wicket in a T20 World Cup match. And he is also the second player to have done it twice in the history of the tournament.

India vs Bangladesh: T20 World Cup 2024

In the last edition, Hardik Pandya was able to get his name in this iconic record list. India and Bangladesh went against each other in the group stage clash of the tournament, with the Indian team batting first. Hardik Pandya stepped out on the crease in the 12th over, as India was already standing at the score of 108/4.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

But Hardik enabled his beast mode in the death overs. He went on to score 50 runs off 27 balls, being the highest run scorer for the team. His knock included 4 fours and 3 sixes, which helped India to reach the total of 196/5. In the chase, Bangladesh fell a long way short, as Hardik Pandya also took the wicket of Liton Das.

India vs Namibia: T20 World Cup 2026

And again, Hardik Pandya has been able to achieve this feat in the current edition of the T20 World Cup. India had its second group stage game against Namibia, and Hardik Pandya took the center stage. With the Indian batsmen giving a blistering start, Hardik ensured that the innings ended in the same style.

He went on to score 52 runs off 28 balls, with 4 fours and 4 sixes. This ultimately helped India to finish at a mammoth total of 209 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. While Namibia tried its best to save wickets, Hardik Pandya took 2 in the last over of his spell. In four overs, he conceded just 21 runs and took 2 wickets for the Indian team.

Virat Kohli

Before Hardik Pandya, only one Indian player was able to achieve this feat twice in the T20 World Cup. And it was none other than Virat Kohli. We all know him as a batsman, but in his prime, he also contributed to the team with the ball.

India vs Pakistan: T20 World Cup 2012

The first time Virat Kohli achieved this record was against Pakistan, his favourite opponent across formats. Since Pakistan was batting first in this game, Virat Kohli thought to strike first with the ball. He bowled three overs in the match, and also took the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez, the captain of Pakistan. Kohli finished his spell of 3 overs with a wicket and conceded 21 runs.

The first time Virat Kohli scored a fifty and took the wicket in the T20 WC was against Pakistan.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

India did not have a good start in the chase, as Gautam Gambhir was dismissed for a duck. But Virat Kohli went on to score 78 runs off 61 balls in a 129 runs chase. He had smashed 8 fours and 2 sixes, which eventually helped India to come out victorious in this game.

India vs West Indies, Semi-final: T20 World Cup 2016

The second time Virat Kohli did this, the stakes were much higher. India faced the West Indies in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup, which was also hosted in India. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane gave a good start to the Indian team, and eventually Virat Kohli stepped in for a push.

The second time Virat Kohli achieved the record, India faced the West Indies in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

He was able to score 89 runs off 47 balls in this game, with 11 fours and one six. This eventually helped India to score 192 runs for the loss of 2 wickets, setting a big target. But the Indian bowlers failed to take wickets. Kohli was able to dismiss Johnson Charles, as he finished his spell of 1.4 overs with a wicket and 15 runs. West Indies was able to finish this game with 2 balls remaining.