Following the tradition, Team India and Sri Lankan players assembled for their respective national anthems ahead of the first T20I contest at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. While the proceedings were as customary as they get, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya managed to grab the attention of cricket fans on social media when he was apparently spotted singing the Sri Lankan national anthem. It all happened when the cameraperson, ahead of the match, panned to Pandya who was seemingly mouthing the opponent’s national anthem at the venue. But was he? Fans who gathered on microblogging site Twitter thought so and they shared videos and snapshots from the moment.
Was Pandya trolled for it? Not really. In fact, fans from India lauded the cricketer for showing respect to the hosts.
Is it just me that saw @hardikpandya7 singing the SL national anthem, then? #SLvInd pic.twitter.com/TuALbiRFu4— Pranith (@Pranith16) July 25, 2021
Hardik Pandya Appreciation tweet 🏏👌@hardikpandya7 is singing Sri Lanka national anthem 🇮🇳❤️🇱🇰 #Cricket #SLvIND #HardikPandya #SL #BCCI P.S. I learnt it couple of years ago. Give it a try 🙂 pic.twitter.com/THatyPmHvX
— raghava.eth (@imraghava) July 25, 2021
The Moment @hardikpandya7 sang #SriLanka anthem ❤️❤️ #INDvSL Proud of you Bro #MI #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/q1f60sRZYO— Mohamed Ruzny Nisfer (@MhdRuz) July 25, 2021
In national anthem time, Hardik Pandya is singing Sri Lanka's National anthem. Awesome Hardik, and brilliant to see this. #INDvSL— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) July 25, 2021
Hardik Pandya seen reciting SL national anthem too after India's one..😁😁😎😎 #INDvSL— Priscilla 🇮🇳 (@priscicktgirl) July 25, 2021
Hardik Pandya singing the #SL national anthem is all of us since the 2011 World Cup. What a beautiful tune!#INDvSL
— Prasen Moudgal (@Prasen_m4299) July 25, 2021
Such a beautiful moment there. Hardik Pandya humming to Sri Lanka's anthem. Respect.— Aditya (@CricaddictAJ) July 25, 2021
Hardik Pandya singing Sri Lanka’s national anthem is the best thing i have seen so far. It’s all about respecting the nation ❤️😍 #INDvSL— All About Cricket (@allaboutcric_) July 25, 2021
Hardik Pandya trying to lip sync to the Sri Lankan anthem is priceless.— K Balakumar (@kbalakumar) July 25, 2021
Meanwhile, ahead of the clash, India captain Shikhar Dhawan said the team management would try out new faces but only if they fit into the best playing XI during the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka, starting Sunday. Like India blooded as many as five newcomers in the final ODI, Dhawan indicated on Saturday that he was not averse to experimenting with new men like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Varun Chakravarthy and Devdutt Padikkal in the coming games, but a series win will remain a priority.
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