Is Hardik Pandya really the answer to India's allrounder puzzle?

MUMBAI: As India’s lengthy excursion to South Africa attracts to a close, certainly one of their key avid gamers who would take into accout this sojourn as a ‘roller-coaster’ ride is Hardik Pandya. The 24-year-old began the shuttle with a bang when he smashed a super, counter-attacking 93 at Cape Town within the first Test on a tough pitch in opposition to an impressive South African attack that used to be breathing fireplace. It used to be an innings which rescued India from a collapse, and many had been fast to match the allrounder to the mythical Kapil Dev.

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However, while Pandya stored chipping in with the ball, his batting simply capitulated. He used to be panned via critics both times in the second one Test at Centurion - at the beginning for not grounding his bat in time, after which getting out caught behind while trying to play a ramp shot over the slips. After his Cape Town exploits, all Pandya may just manage used to be 1, 15, 6, 0 & 4 in his subsequent 5 innings, to complete with 119 runs within the Test sequence at 19.83.

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Worse used to be to practice within the six-match ODI sequence. While India romped to a thumping Five-1 win, all Pandya may just manage had been 26 runs at eight.66. Any other player would’ve been dropped for that roughly non-performance, but Pandya’s effective seam bowling and the ability to take athletic catches within the outfield stored him within the XI.

“He’s fortunate to get seen 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 stay his position within the crew,” says former India allrounder Roger Binny.

He feels it’s time to forestall evaluating the ‘vibrant’ allrounder with Kapil. “As a batsman, he’s no patch on Kapil Dev. Kapil got loads in first-class cricket earlier than he broke into India’s Test facet. Pandya hasn’t scored runs in first-class cricket earlier than taking part in on the top degree. He has got into the Test crew according to his exploits in T20 cricket. Limited-overs cricket is a special ball game altogether - you'll be able to get runs in the ones codecs for the reason that box 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 tough for him to settle in and perform in Test cricket. I don’t suppose he’ll have the ability to play much of home cricket though.”

Many really feel that Pandya’s ultra-aggressive means as soon as he walks in to bat is proving to be his bane and Binny is of the same opinion with that view. “He’s trying to hit the whole lot from ball one, which is impossible. He tries to play too many strokes and doesn’t look to relax,” he analyses.

Binny’s former teammate and Pandya’s trainer back in Baroda, former India wicketkeeper Kiran More, defends his ward’s SA show. “If you communicate in regards to the Tests, what number of batsmen got even a fifty there? That 93 of his used to be like scoring a 150.”