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Hardik Pandya became the first IPL player to kneel as part of the BLM.
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Pandya hit an undefeated 60 of 20 balls as he scored his first half century of the season.
Mumbai Indians (MI) all terrain Hardik pandya Kneeling at IPL 2020 match 45 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) as part of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Pandya, who scored a scintillating 21 60 balls, fell to one knee with his right arm raised after hitting his half-century stoppage on the penultimate ball of innings. He pointed towards the Mumbai bench to which the alternate captain Kieron pollard he replied with a raised right fist.
Pandya posted a photo of his gesture on his Twitter and Instagram accounts after the match with the caption: “BlackLivesMatter”.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/yzUS1bWh7F
– hardik pandya (@ hardikpandya7) October 25, 2020
Cricket first joined the BLM when teams from England and the West Indies, along with match officials, got down on their knees earlier this summer. Many players began sharing their views on racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death in the US in March of this year.
Meanwhile, Hardik’s wife Natasa Stankovic She was also delighted with her husband’s gesture and expressed happiness by sharing stories on her official Instagram account.
Pandya’s effort was in vain
MI looked like they would finish with a score of 170 or less when they were 121 out of four at the end of 16 overs. But, Pandya produced a masterclass of big shots to provide the late momentum, leading MI to 195/5 in his stipulated overs.
However, Pandya’s effort was in vain after the blitzkrieg of Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson, who effortlessly pulled off a tough chase and abolished IM’s burden on the tournament. Stokes hit 107, not just 60 balls, hitting three sixes and 16 limits while winning the great company of Samson, who hit a 54 of 31 balls and did not out as they dismantled Mumbai ‘s powerful bowling unit with ease.
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