Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been massively criticised for not giving a strike to Dhruv Jurel while chasing, despite having a slow start. On January 28, in the third T20I against England at Rajkot, India troubled while chasing 172 runs. The openers left early, and so did the rest. Hardik Pandya looks to be the batter with the highest score in his team, with 40 runs coming from 35 balls. However, he did not look comfortable as he repeatedly failed to rotate the strike. Similar things happened while batting with Dhruv Jurel. Dhruv came in after Axar Patel was dismissed. Known for his batting calibre, fans felt that he deserved ample chances, but Hardik denying him the strike made India fail to give a fight. At a point, Hardik was batting on 23 off 27 balls unless he smashed a six in the next over of Mark Wood's delivery, making his strike rate reach 100. Hardik mainly faced fan criticism for refusing a single to Jurel on the 18th over’s last ball. It backfired as he got out on Overton’s first delivery, scoring 40 off 35 balls. Meet Hardik Pandya: - Denied a single on the last ball to Dhruv Jurel thinking he would finish the match. - Got out on the very next ball. - Played one of the worst T20I knocks for India. This is not confidence this is arrogance and overconfidence. pic.twitter.com/PltGjZhBOg — 𝐉𝐨𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐞 (@jod_insane) January 28, 2025 Read also: Watch: Adil Rashid Unleashes a Vicious Ripper to Dismiss Tilak Varma Overconfident Hardik Pandya: - Denied a single on the last ball of the 19th Over to Dhruv Jurel thinking he would finish the match. - Got out on the very next ball 🤦‍♂️#INDvENG Gambhir pic.twitter.com/gKHQ9mj3hI — Mrityunjoy 🇮🇳💙 (@Mrityunjoy_offl) January 28, 2025 India Falter Despite Varun’s Fifer Hardik was the lone fighter as Washington Sundar (6), Axar Patel (15), and Dhruv Jurel (2) struggled on the slow pitch, leaving India short of the target. Earlier, Varun Chakravarthy's brilliant 5/24 gave India hope, but England countered well, securing a 26-run win to stay alive in the series. Suryakumar Yadav led India had won the first two T20Is in Kolkata and Chennai by seven and two wickets, respectively. The fourth match will be held in Pune on Friday.