"It was my last game before a break so today I came out full guns blazing" - Hardik Pandya on his searing spell in the 3rd T20I against New Zealand

Team India stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya led the side to yet another series win following a mammoth win in the third T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday, February 1.

The all-rounder was also adjudged as the Player of the Series for his exploits in the three-match affair, which ended with a splendid all-round performance in the decider.

Once again taking the new ball for the side, Hardik ran through the Kiwi batting unit with ease. He was helped by some excellent bits of fielding, but apart from his outstanding figures of 4-16, his career-best figures, the main takeaway was the pace with which he bowled.

Admitting that he went all out trying to bowl as fast as possible since this was his last match in a while, Hardik told Shubman Gill in an interaction after the series win in Ahmedabad:

"Today was my free day, for me, today was to bowl as quickly as possible and four wickets are just part and parcel of the game, but I think I bowled 145 kmph today if I am not wrong."

Hardik continued:

"That kind of gave me the happiness and the smile that you see right now. I told him that today is my last game before a break so today I came out full guns blazing, trying to bowl as fast as possible."

There was pace and carry on the surface, as evidenced by the set of catches taken by Suryakumar Yadav to dismiss Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips off Hardik's bowling. The all-rounder also claimed the wickets of tail-enders Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner to bundle out New Zealand for a paltry 66.

The right-arm pacer still touches the 140 kmph mark on occasions but has largely dwindled down his pace due to injury concerns. There was a stage where he was not able to bowl at all due to a recurring serious back injury.

However, since his return, he has been functioning as an all-rounder, with no major hiccups so far.

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Hardik Pandya is likely to feature next in the ODI series against Australia

Team India have made it to the halfway mark of their home season after defeating both New Zealand and Sri Lanka in convincing fashion.

With the team gearing up to face Australia in a four-match Test series, Hardik will earn a well-deserved break after partaking across all white-ball matches since the start of the year.

The stand-in skipper was delighted with the performance of the team over the course of the series, where they had to fight back after initially being 1-0 down. He said during the post-match presentation:

"I don't mind winning (man of the series award), but there were so performances here that were exceptional. This Man of the Series and trophy goes out to the whole support staff, I'm happy for all of them."

He has not been included in the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but is expected to play the subsequent three-match ODI series against Australia before the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) commences.

Should the all-rounder take the new ball more often in T20Is? Let us know what you think.

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