Hardik Pandya has to strike fast to become India's ace all-rounder for 2017 Champions Trophy
Hardik Pandya on song during the Delhi ODI on Thursday. Pic/PTI
Hardik Pandya has given glimpses of the potential that the Indian think-tank sees in him and has decided to back him to develop into a top-class all-rounder. In the first ODI match against New Zealand in Dharmasala, he came good with the ball on a pitch which had some help for him. In Delhi, during the second game, he nearly helped India pull off an unexpected win but fell after an injudicious shot when victory was in sight.
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The Indian team management had invested a lot of time and effort on Stuart Binny, but he has not been able to develop into a reliable all-rounder.
With an eye on the Champions Trophy in England next June, India have given Pandya the opportunity to fill that requirement.
There are not many ODI matches for Pandya to go from strength to strength but he has the backing and confidence of the team management to express himself without the fear of being axed at the first failure. He has an advantage over the pace bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, that he can bat quite effectively in the ODIs as he has a range of strokes required to be a decent lower-order batsman.
Earlier, the Indian think-tank then headed by Ravi Shastri had given similar opportunities to Binny more specifically on the 2014-15 Australian tour before the World Cup and more recently on the US tour for two T20Is. Binny just could not make a mark and has now fallen out of favour and opened the door for Pandya.
Pandya could have turned into a hero if he had taken India to victory at Kotla on Thursday night. His injudicious choice of shot put paid to India’s hopes by mere six runs. Ironically, a little bit more power and timing on the unorthodox stroke could have taken it over the boundary ropes.
Captain MS Dhoni refused to blame Pandya for his error in judgment, hoping that the 23-year-old all-rounder will learn from the botched attempt.
“It is always a good exposure for a player when he is under the pump and it always teaches you a lot.
“Maybe, if that shot would have gone over point, it could have been a boundary and everything would have been different. He is still learning and it will be harsh on him (to criticise him for the stroke).”
The team management knows that if Pandya can learn from his mistakes soon enough, he can develop into a reliable all-rounder, which can go a long way in helping India to dominate the ODIs and maybe top the ICC ranking an year from now. With three more matches to go in the current series, Pandya needs to make the most of the opportunity to justify the faith reposed in him.
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