More than ten years ago, Jiten Ramanandi and a young Hardik Pandya competed together in Gujarat’s club-level cricket tournaments. Now, destiny brought them face-to-face once more, this time as opponents in the Asia Cup game at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, as Oman took on India for the first time on the international stage.
Jiten, a former Baroda all-rounder, earned a spot in Oman’s national team for the Asia Cup, setting up a remarkable reunion. Oman’s performance was impressive, holding India to under 200 runs, with Jiten shining by claiming two wickets in his four overs and contributing to two run-outs.
In the eighth over of India’s innings, Jiten dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the first ball. Hardik then came to the crease, likely recalling their days, playing on Baroda’s local pitches. Hardik faced just one ball from Jiten, driving it to long-off for a single. In the next delivery, Sanju Samson hit the ball back to Jiten, who deflected it onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end, catching Hardik out of his crease for a run-out.
This brief but poignant reunion is a moment Jiten will likely treasure for years to come.
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