Is Hardik Pandya really the answer to India's allrounder puzzle?
After his Cape Town exploits where he struck a 93-run knock, all Pandya could manage was 1, 15, 6, 0 & 4 in his next five innings to finish with 119 runs in the Test series at 19.83, whereas in ODIs, he finished with 26 runs at 8.66.
Created - 6 years ago
MUMBAI: As India’s long tour to South Africa draws to a close, one of their key players who would remember this sojourn as a ‘roller-coaster’ ride is Hardik Pandya. The 24-year-old began the trip with a bang when he smashed a brilliant, counter-attacking 93 at Cape Town in the first Test on a tough pitch against a formidable South African attack that was breathing fire. It was an innings which rescued India from a collapse, and many were quick to compare the allrounder to the legendary Kapil Dev.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya should bat higher: Amarnath However, while Pandya kept chipping in with the ball, his batting just capitulated. He was panned by critics both times in the second Test at Centurion - firstly for not grounding his bat in time, and then getting out caught behind while trying to play a ramp shot over the slips. After his Cape Town exploits, all Pandya could manage was 1, 15, 6, 0 & 4 in his next five innings, to finish with 119 runs in the Test series at 19.83.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya could develop into a fantastic asset: Klusener
Worse was to follow in the six-match ODI series. While India romped to a thumping 5-1 win, all Pandya could manage were 26 runs at 8.66. Any other player would’ve been dropped for that kind of non-performance, but Pandya’s effective seam bowling and the ability to take athletic catches in the outfield kept him in the XI.
“He’s lucky to get viewed as an allrounder. He doesn’t contribute with the bat. He is chipping in with the ball, and that’s why he’s been able to keep his place in the team,” says former India allrounder Roger Binny.
He feels it’s time to stop comparing the ‘colourful’ allrounder with Kapil. “As a batsman, he’s no patch on Kapil Dev. Kapil got hundreds in first-class cricket before he broke into India’s Test side. Pandya hasn’t scored runs in first-class cricket before playing at the top level. He has got into the Test team based on his exploits in T20 cricket. Limited-overs cricket is a different ball game altogether - you can get runs in those formats because the field is spread out,” observes Binny.
“He has to bat up the order in first-class for Baroda and score runs there, otherwise it’ll be difficult for him to settle in and perform in Test cricket. I don’t think he’ll be able to play much of domestic cricket though.”
Many feel that Pandya’s ultra-aggressive approach as soon as he walks in to bat is proving to be his bane and Binny concurs with that view. “He’s trying to hit everything from ball one, which is impossible. He tries to play too many strokes and doesn’t look to settle down,” he analyses.
Binny’s former teammate and Pandya’s coach back in Baroda, former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, defends his ward’s SA show. “If you talk about the Tests, how many batsmen got even a fifty there? That 93 of his was like scoring a 150.”
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya should bat higher: Amarnath However, while Pandya kept chipping in with the ball, his batting just capitulated. He was panned by critics both times in the second Test at Centurion - firstly for not grounding his bat in time, and then getting out caught behind while trying to play a ramp shot over the slips. After his Cape Town exploits, all Pandya could manage was 1, 15, 6, 0 & 4 in his next five innings, to finish with 119 runs in the Test series at 19.83.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya could develop into a fantastic asset: Klusener
Worse was to follow in the six-match ODI series. While India romped to a thumping 5-1 win, all Pandya could manage were 26 runs at 8.66. Any other player would’ve been dropped for that kind of non-performance, but Pandya’s effective seam bowling and the ability to take athletic catches in the outfield kept him in the XI.
“He’s lucky to get viewed as an allrounder. He doesn’t contribute with the bat. He is chipping in with the ball, and that’s why he’s been able to keep his place in the team,” says former India allrounder Roger Binny.
He feels it’s time to stop comparing the ‘colourful’ allrounder with Kapil. “As a batsman, he’s no patch on Kapil Dev. Kapil got hundreds in first-class cricket before he broke into India’s Test side. Pandya hasn’t scored runs in first-class cricket before playing at the top level. He has got into the Test team based on his exploits in T20 cricket. Limited-overs cricket is a different ball game altogether - you can get runs in those formats because the field is spread out,” observes Binny.
“He has to bat up the order in first-class for Baroda and score runs there, otherwise it’ll be difficult for him to settle in and perform in Test cricket. I don’t think he’ll be able to play much of domestic cricket though.”
Many feel that Pandya’s ultra-aggressive approach as soon as he walks in to bat is proving to be his bane and Binny concurs with that view. “He’s trying to hit everything from ball one, which is impossible. He tries to play too many strokes and doesn’t look to settle down,” he analyses.
Binny’s former teammate and Pandya’s coach back in Baroda, former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, defends his ward’s SA show. “If you talk about the Tests, how many batsmen got even a fifty there? That 93 of his was like scoring a 150.”
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