Indian star reveals truth about 'wonder bat'

He has announced himself as cricket's next global superstar, but it is Hardik Pandya's wonder bat that has fellow players talking after his T20 heroics against Australia.

Pandya once again cemented his status as one of the game's most devastating finishers, after his unbeaten 42 off 22 deliveries guided India home in the second T20.

The 27-year-old's innings actually started slowly, but after he called for a bat swap, he lashed 23 off the final seven deliveries of his innings, including two sixes off the final over.

Sunday's clash was not the first time Pandya had brought out the big bat, with his weapon also deployed in the unbeaten 150-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja in the third ODI that ultimately won the game for India.

Hardik Pandya

Following the match, Pandya dispelled theories that he had a designated hard-hitting bat, revealing that he had broken his favourite bat in his innings of 90 in the first ODI.

"I am trying to figure out my bats now," he told Fox Cricket after the win.

"My match bat got broken in the first ODI which I was playing for the last three years, so the whole series, all these five games, I have been trying to figure out which bat I should bat with.

Unfortunately for Australian cricket fans, Tuesday's third T20 will be the last time they get to see the star all-rounder in action this summer, with Pandya not in the Test squad.

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With Pandya hitting his prime years, former England captain Michael Vaughan said he was well on track to become one of the game's biggest stars.

"He has to look at the next three years," Vaughan told Cricbuzz.

"With the next T20 world cup being in India, obviously the IPL being in India, the next 50-over World Cup is in India in 2023, Hardik Pandya has got a great opportunity to become the next global superstar.

"MS Dhoni, he had that mantle for many years. Virat Kohli has it now. It's generally the Indian players that get put onto that pedestal and I think Hardik's got a chance to be the next superstar."

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