When the decision on the last ball of the recent India vs Bangladesh nail-biting clash went upstairs, the LED board flickered. And it beat. Along with the board, thumped millions of hearts across India in a rhythm which would erupt in victorious screams moments later. However, amidst all the action, stood one person whose heart must have been ready to come out of his mouth any moment.

Hardik Pandya, the 22-year-old all rounder from Jamshedpur and the bowler of the fateful over, hung in there as did his career with those tiny LED bulbs on the board which could finish a promising career which hadn't even begun to flourish properly yet. And then something happened to the tiny bulbs. They arranged themselves in a formation which sent millions of Indians into dizzying ecstasy and our neighbors into shocking gloom. And in the process, a star was born.

Surprisingly, for a youngster caught in a catch 22 situation, Pandya was unbelievably calm.

He didn't seem unsure when MS Dhoni tossed him the ball for the last over. He didn't seem rattled when he erred and was punished with consecutive extravagant boundaries. He wasn't jubilant when he made a brilliant comeback to take two wickets off consecutive balls. He seemed in control after sealing the game for India. And for that, credit must be given to young Pandya.

In any team sport, no single person can win the game on their own merit. However, in a defeat, it's a different story altogether. In defeat, it becomes rather easy to single out that one person and label him as the chink in the armour. Pandya could very well have been that chink in India's otherwise dilapidated armour. He could have been the black sheep among the "goose". He had gone for 20 in his first two overs, and been distinctly unlucky on the big match eve. And that last over was just added pressure on the all-rounder who's still trying to find his footing in the team.