Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh, on Tuesday, sparked a major fear after claiming that India all-rounder Hardik Pandya incurred a knee injury. His statement came moments after India beat Australia by four wickets in the 2025 Champions Trophy semifinal at the Dubai International Stadium to reach the final for the third consecutive time.
Hardik played a crucial role in India’s tense chase of 264 on the tricky Dubai track. Walking out at No. 7, Hardik smashed three sixes and a boundary in his 24-ball 28 to put India within touching distance of a win. KL Rahul then hit the winning six to wrap up the chase with 11 balls to spare.
Following the win, Yuvraj Singh’s father claimed that Hardik had twisted his knees and despite the pain, he battled through to put his country ahead and help secure the all-important win.
“Cricket is a religion in our country. When these players, who give their blood and sweat for us, when they fall, pick them up, when they feel sad, console them, when they cannot walk, then lift them on your shoulders. Hardik’s knee was twisted. But he scored some sixes and stood for his country. People should learn from this. He did get himself a runner. People should be positive, irrespective of win or loss. If you keep talking down on a player, he goes down forever,” he told ANI.
However, Hardik showed no sign of discomfort during the match, neither did BCCI make release a statement. It also wasn’t discussed during head coach Gautam Gambhir’s post-match press conference.
Yograj hails Virat Kohli
The veteran cricketer was full of praise for Kohli, who carved out a valiant knock of 84 to help India bury the ghost of 2023 ODI World Cup. However, he seemed disappointed at the 36-year-old throwing away his opportunity to score a second hundred in the tournament.
He said: “Virat is a match-winner. But I feel sad because that shot was unnecessary. He should have finished the match. He is like a son to me. He could have done a century and had India lost, it would have been wasted. He changed the game today. I would like to say this to people who criticise Virat, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, that they should stop, become your child’s support so that we keep make progress.”