
'A Day I Will Never...': Hardik Pandya Reminisces India's T20 World Cup Win
Last Updated:
Hardik Pandya celebrates the first anniversary of India's T20 World Cup win against South Africa with a heartfelt message.
Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Sunday, June 29, posted a heartfelt message on his social media handles, reminiscing and celebrating the first anniversary of India's T20 World Cup win in Barbados against South Africa, in which he played a major part.
Pandya was in then-skipper Rohit Sharma's arms as they got to share a national win after years of success with the Mumbai Indians, but just heartbreak in the national jersey.
Needing to defend 16 runs off the last over, Pandya kept his calm and held on to his nerves to take India to a big win.
'A day I'll never forget. A day we'll never forget. For all of us, India 🇮🇳❤️," Pandya tweeted on Sunday morning. Watch the video here:
A day I'll never forget. A day we'll never forget. For all of us, India 🇮🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/gWxxbdcCv0 — hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) June 29, 2025
'I always manifested myself bowling the last over or hitting the last runs of the World Cup-winning play. The six-seven months I had before that, really proud of how I was able to stand up," Pandya was seen saying in the video.
Rohit also posted a lovely message on Instagram on India's triumph. With the reactions to memories and crucial moments from that historic game against South Africa coming through thick and fast for a date that holds so much meaning for multiple of these cricketers, Rohit posted a sentimental video on his Instagram account.
'This trophy, of course, means a lot for us, but it's for the entire nation," Rohit was seen saying in the video.
'A day etched in our memory forever," the opening visual said.
Rohit, ace India batter Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20Is after the win. Suryakumar Yadav is all set to lead India in the T20 World Cup that will be played next year at home and will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka.
First Published:
June 29, 2025, 14:16 IST

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Club World Cup Has Destroyed Us': Pep Guardiola Worried About Man City's Potential Burnout; Lambasts FIFA
Last Updated: Pep Guardiola is worried about Manchester City's lack of rest before the new Premier League season due to the Club World Cup, fearing it could "destroy" them. Is one trophy worth throwing away your entire season ahead? Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola expressed concerns about the lack of rest his side will get ahead of the new Premier League season, highlighting how their involvement in the Club World Cup could 'destroy" them. City concluded their previous Premier League season on May 25 and began their Club World Cup campaign in Philadelphia just over three weeks later, on June 18. This Saturday, they will face Al-Hilal in Orlando in the round of 16. If City reaches the final on July 13, they will have one month to prepare for their new league campaign, starting on August 16. Guardiola expressed uncertainty about the toll the Club World Cup would take on his squad, advising reporters to inquire about the impact later in the year. 'We might be a disaster; we could be exhausted. The World Cup may have drained us," he remarked. 'I don't know, but this is unprecedented for us. We will find out." Echoing Jurgen Klopp's Concerns Guardiola is not the first to voice concerns over player well-being due to the congested football schedule. Earlier this year, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp criticised FIFA, calling the expanded 32-team event, held every four years during pre-season, football's worst idea. 'I think it's useless. It doesn't help if there is no summer break," Klopp stated in January, referring to players who participated in the World Cup, European Championship, Copa America, or other international competitions. Guardiola echoed his former rival's concerns, stressing the importance of giving players sufficient rest. 'Jurgen, we have had many battles, especially during UEFA meetings or discussions about the Premier League calendar, to improve quality and ensure managers and players get more rest," Guardiola said. 'So his comments didn't surprise me. I understand his argument and would support it as well." (with agency inputs) About the Author Siddarth Sriram First Published: June 30, 2025, 09:54 IST


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
China's humanoid robots generate more soccer excitement than their human counterparts
While China's men's soccer team hasn't generated much excitement in recent years, humanoid robot teams have won over fans in Beijing based more on the AI technology involved than any athletic prowess shown. Four teams of humanoid robots faced off in fully autonomous 3-on-3 soccer matches powered entirely by artificial intelligence on Saturday night in China's capital in what was touted as a first in China and a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games, set to take place in Beijing. According to the organizers, a key aspect of the match was that all the participating robots operated fully autonomously using AI-driven strategies without any human intervention or supervision. Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots were able to identify the ball and navigate the field with agility. They were also designed to stand up on their own after falling. However, during the match, several still had to be carried off the field on stretchers by staff, adding to the realism of the experience. China is stepping up efforts to develop AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports competitions like marathons, boxing, and football as a real-world proving ground. Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, the company that supplied the robot players, said sports competitions offer the ideal testing ground for humanoid robots, helping to accelerate the development of both algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems. He also emphasized safety as a core concern in the application of humanoid robots.'In the future, we may arrange for robots to play football with humans. That means we must ensure the robots are completely safe,' Cheng said. 'For example, a robot and a human could play a match where winning doesn't matter, but real offensive and defensive interactions take place. That would help audiences build trust and understand that robots are safe.' Booster Robotics provided the hardware for all four university teams, while each school's research team developed and embedded their own algorithms for perception, decision-making, player formations, and passing strategies—including variables such as speed, force, and direction, according to Cheng. In the final match, Tsinghua University's THU Robotics defeated the China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea team with a score of 5–3 to win the championship. Mr. Wu, a supporter of Tsinghua, celebrated their victory while also praising the competition.'They (THU) did really well,' he said. 'But the Mountain Sea team (of Agricultural University) was also impressive. They brought a lot of surprises.' China's men have made only one World Cup appearance and have already been knocked out of next years' competition in Canada, Mexico and the United States.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Rohit Sharma celebrates T20 World Cup win anniversary, enjoys vacation with family
Rohit Sharma, left, his mother Purnima Sharma, second left, former International Cricket Council chairman Sharad Pawar, third left, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, center, Rohit's father Gurunath Sharma, second right, and wife Ritika Sajdeh, right, during Rohit Sharma stand naming ceremony in Mumbai, India, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade) Former India Test captain and current ODI skipper Rohit Sharma , who recently retired from red-ball cricket at the age of 38, was seen vacationing with his family in Europe. Rohit has been seen sharing photos of his family regularly in the past couple of day. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Rohit, now focused solely on One-Day Internationals, next cricketing assignment is scheduled for August, when India tours Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series starting on August 17. A year ago it was under Rohit Sharma's captaincy that India ended their 13 year long wait to win an ICC Trophy. 'Barbados will forever be in my veins. This is the proudest moment of my cricketing career. To lift that trophy, to be crowned ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Champions—it was surreal. I played in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup and we won under MS Dhoni's captaincy. And now, to win it again with Rahul Dravid as head coach—it meant everything to this group. 'We've seen heartbreak. We've come so close. That's why this one was so special. We worked and planned relentlessly—every day. And when we finally won, all the emotions came pouring out. The younger players, especially those playing their first World Cup, realised how hard it is to win one. Nothing can be taken for granted. It was magical,' said Rohit to JioHotstar. Nick Knight EXCLUSIVE: On Shubman Gill and absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in England What was going through his mind before taking the field for the final, which also became his last game for India in T20Is after the championship glory was achieved? Rohit admitted that he didn't sleep well in the night before the final and nervous energy led to him waking up much earlier than expected. 'Thirteen years is a long time. Most people don't even have a 13-year career. So, to wait that long to win a World Cup… the last one I won was in 2007. For me, it couldn't have gotten any bigger than this. I didn't sleep the whole night. I was only thinking about the World Cup. I was nervous. I couldn't feel my legs. Did I feel nerves? Of course. 'I just don't show it—but inside, it was a lot. We were supposed to leave around 8:30 or 9 in the morning. But I woke up at 7. From my room, I could see the ground and just kept watching it. I remember thinking—'In two hours, I'll be there. And in four hours, the result will be out. Either the Cup will be here or it won't." Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.