After India's dominating win against New Zealand in the second T20I in Raipur, a video showing an exchange between Hardik Pandya and former India cricketer Murali Kartik went viral online. The clip, recorded by a fan from the stands, had no sound, leaving viewers to guess what was happening.
The interaction reportedly took place before the start of the second match in the five-T20I series. Hardik was seen walking onto the field in his practice kit, carrying his bat and gloves, when he crossed paths with Kartik, who was working as a broadcaster.
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Hardik Pandya and Murali Kartik animated chat
The two exchanged greetings and were then seen in a lively conversation, with Kartik appearing to explain something while Hardik listened. Since there was no audio and the clip ended without showing the conclusion, fans quickly speculated online that it might have been an argument. Here is the video.
India vs New Zealand 2nd T20I
India captain Suryakumar Yadav regained his form with an unbeaten 82 off 37 balls as India thrashed New Zealand by seven wickets in the second T20I to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. After being asked to bat, New Zealand posted 208 for six, thanks to a quick 44 off 26 balls from Rachin Ravindra and some brisk cameos from the other top-order batters. Later, Mitchell Santner added an unbeaten 47 off 27 balls to push the total past 200. The Indian bowlers, however, managed to regain control after the initial onslaught.
In reply, India lost two early wickets, reduced to 6/2 in the second over, but the chase was powered by Ishan Kishan’s whirlwind 76 off 32 balls and Suryakumar’s blazing knock. Shivam Dube also played a quickfire 36 off 18 balls, helping India reach the target comfortably with 28 balls to spare.