AB de Villiers defends Hardik Pandya’s decision to end the match with a six

Tilak Varma delivered a calm innings against the West Indies on Tuesday, helping India win the first game of the tour's T20I leg and keep the series alive.

However, uproar erupted when Hardik Pandya struck a six to win the game while Varma was on 49 and the team needed two runs from 14 balls.

Social media users were critical of Pandya, believing that the Indian captain should have allowed the young left-hander to reach the 50-run mark. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra agreed with the sentiment on his YouTube channel.

Former South African captain AB de Villiers and cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle disagreed with netizens.

"I'm perplexed by the talk of Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It's not a landmark; in fact, other from a century (which is uncommon), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are way too focused on individual accomplishment within a team sport. Individual stats in T20 cricket should not include 50s, in my opinion. "All that matters is that you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR)," Bhogle tweeted.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," de Villiers said. "At long last, someone says it!"

Varma hit his first half-century in the second T20I, becoming the only Indian player to score 30 runs in all three innings.

The Mumbai Indians player seems unfazed by international cricket, remaining poised and technically competent against the bowlers.