WATCH: Washington Sundar comes up with priceless reaction after Hardik Pandya hits Kyle Jamieson for 98-meter six

Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya’s run-a-ball 45 took the Men in Blue to a competitive score of 249 on the board. At one stage, Team India looked like scoring much less than their final score on the board. Pandya though stepped on the gas to hit 45 crucial runs with the bat as he went on the rampage in the final few overs. 

At the end of 48 overs, India were placed at 225/7 with Pandya batting on 30. Kyle Jamieson was given the task of bowling the 49th over of the innings. After the first ball that yielded no runs, the second ball went for a four. The third ball of the inning saw yet another boundary being scored. 

Tonked💥

When Hardik Pandya’s on the attack, the ball’s going for a ride! 🚀#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #INDvNZ | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 2 & Sports18-1!

📺📱 Start watching FREE on JioHotstar: https://t.co/jvsSJePtoNpic.twitter.com/5nnvyWwiJj

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 2, 2025

The best shot of the inning came in the fifth ball of the 49th over. Jamieson bowled a full ball on Pandya’s leg stump. The batter thumped the ball deep into the stands for a huge six that was measured to be traveling 98 meters. As soon as the shot was played, Washington Sundar, who was in the dugout, had nothing but an amazed look on his face. 

Huge task for Indian bowlers against New Zealand

India scored 249 runs from their 50 overs for the loss of nine wickets at the end of their 50 overs. Matt Henry was the best bowler for the Kiwis, with his eight overs being hit for 42 runs and claiming five wickets. The right-arm pacer provided crucial breakthroughs for his side to make sure India don’t go past 250 runs. 

Speaking at the break, Henry said, “I think the way we came out there and the surface helped and put India under pressure. Very happy with the total but still need to do a big job with the bat. We talked about getting wickets and the pressure was getting us wickets. There are some ebbs and flows on this wicket and if we can put the pressure back on, that should help us.”

Both sides have four points from two games and the winner of the game will go to the top of the table. The winner of this game will be playing Australia in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2025. The first semi-final will be played on Tuesday, while the second semi-final will be played on Wednesday and the final match on Sunday.