Harshit Rana has taken Devon Conway's wicket for five out of six times in the ongoing tour.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya showcased a moment of brilliance in the field during the IND vs NZ 3rd T20I in Guwahati, by taking a screamer to dismiss Devon Conway on Sunday, January 25.
The incident happened during the first over of the match. Harshit Rana bowled a full delivery, angling in. Conway shifted slightly leg-side, trying to find a boundary, lifting the ball over mid-off. However, he couldn’t middle the ball as the bat rolled in his hands after bringing the bat down diagonally. Initially, it felt that the ball might still sail over the fielder standing on the circle, but Hardik Pandya had other ideas.
Hardik Pandya kept his eyes on the ball all the way and perfectly timed the sideways full-stretch jump while moving to his left, completing a stunner.
Replays showed just how special this effort was — perfect judgment and commitment. It was the kind of catch that not only removes a key batter but also sparked a mini collapse. New Zealand lost Rachin Ravindra when Hardik Pandya forced him to give a sitter to Ravi Bishnoi at deep square leg. Jasprit Bumrah gave another blow, sending Tim Seifert back to the hut as the visitors were reeling at 34/3 in 5.1 overs.
ALSO READ:
Harshit Rana has a clear advantage over Devon Conway. He dismissed the Kiwi opener in all three recent ODI innings and twice in the last two T20Is. He did not play in the first T20I.
In ODIs, Conway scored 18 runs from 23 balls against Rana, which included 14 dots, giving him a low average of six. His T20I performance was even worse: he managed just one run off four balls across two innings, resulting in a 25 average. This dropped his overall matchup average to 0.5. Rana’s accuracy and variations have consistently broken through Conway’s defence, making him India’s top choice against the anchor.
New Zealand are currently trailing the five-match series by 0-2. They need to win the next two games to keep themselves alive in the series, which marks the final preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, starting February 7.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
