While team India is enjoying a prolific run, the Men In Blue has definitely benefited from the young bench strength. However, there is one youngster who has managed to stand out from the rest with his powerful hitting and brisk yet disciplined seam bowling.
Hardik Pandya, for all that he has achieved at a young age, has been touted to be the best ever all-rounder that India has ever produced in the past several years and after showing his prowess with the bat, it’s now time for him to sharpen his bowling skills.
The moment Hardik Pandya debuted in the limited overs format, all people were expecting was a dependable middle-order batsman who can bowl a couple of overs to release the pressure for the skipper. However, the 24-year-old took no time in maturing as a full-time bowler who can also bowl a whole 10-overs spell.
The one thing that Indian skipper Virat Kohli, as well as the selectors, have done right is, using Hardik Pandya as a wicket-taking bowler rather than a stock seamer, an approach which should have been opted in the case of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Be it taking wickets or pulling the break of the scoreboard, the Baroda lad has been consistent with his performance, but as critics say, there is still a lot of work to be done for him to mature as a leading wicket-taking bowler.
That said, in the 26 ODIs he has played, Hardik Pandya has scored 530 runs in 16 innings while having a wicket tally of 29 scraps. In the shortest format, however, his batting credentials seems inferior with 125 runs in 21 matches (11 innings) but he has covered it up perfectly with 16 wickets in the format.
All these stats have made Hardik Pandya the perfect all-rounder in the squad and now it seems that while he has become an ultra-aggressive batsman, his pace as a bowler has also found a new gear but it is not just pace but accuracy, as well.
Line and length are the two basic requirements to trouble a batsman and after watching this video, we are sure that the David Warmer led side will have new challenges to face in the India vs Australia 2017, 3rd T20I.
BCCI has just released a video in which Hardik Pandya is seen executing a pitched ball and hitting the marker on the pitch to utmost perfection.
Watch the video here.
How is that for accuracy from @hardikpandya7? Was asked to target the marker and he nails it. #TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/RaQRcu9Gek
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 12, 2017
As for the India vs Australia series, Australia registered a strong comeback in the second T20I and leveled the series 1-1. The 3rd and the last India vs Australia T20Is will be a series decider and will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, October 13.