The South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad hinted that he would be shocked if Hardik Pandya did not receive the Player of the Series award. Following which after the series ended, Varun Chakaravarthy received the award despite Pandya being the game-changer who stood out as the most influential player across the series.
Pandya returned to international cricket after an injury, but his comeback was absolutely stunning. In four matches he scored 142 runs and also picked up three wickets. In the fifth T20I against South Africa at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad – Pandya smashed 63 runs off 25 balls which included five fours and five sixes.
The South Africa coach Shukri Conrad also acknowledged that Pandya has been very influential and stated he made a huge impact in the series.
“If I were brutally honest, in taking nothing away from Bumrah, I think Hardik’s been the difference in the two teams. I think his knock tonight was the difference between us winning and losing. I think he played a knock in the first one as well, where he just walked in, and we had him in a little bit of trouble,” Conrad told reporters during the post-match press conference.
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“Look, I think there’s a reason why he’s one of the best in the world in this format. So, yeah, his performances have been right up there. I don’t know who the man of the series is out there, but I’ll be very surprised if it’s not him. So, I think he’s been the difference between the two sides,” he added.
