On his big return to international cricket against England, Hardik Pandya showed exactly what Team India were missing with him on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time. Pandya’s fitness issues and inability to bowl cast plenty of doubts on his inclusion in the national team as a pure batter.
India, on the other hand, lacked a general balance in the limited overs squad that Pandya so effortlessly provided. It’s not often that you find a bowler who can touch 140 kmph and get important breakthroughs as well as a sensible batter in the middle order who can also play the big shots easily in the same player. Hardik Pandya, however, was an exception.
Against England, Pandya played a starring role for India and was especially crucial in the ODI format where he was declared as the player of the series. The 28-yaer-old’s captaincy stint with Gujarat Titans where he led them to the IPL title in their maiden campaign has had a clear effect on his psyche and Pandya now seems to be a more mature and responsible cricketer on the field.
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was extremely pleased with the composed and mature Hardik Pandya that he saw on the field against England. “The maturity that has come into his cricket is incredible. If you have an all-rounder coming in to bat at No.5 or 6, who can pace the innings, accelerate at any given time and hit the sixes, it’s fantastic,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to India Today.
Hardik Pandya finished as the second highest scorer in the ODI series, behind teammate Rishabh Pant. He scored 100 runs in three matches at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 101.01. However, it’s his knock of 71 (55) in the final ODI that proved to be the most decisive. Pandya stitched a 133-run partnership with Pant that proved to be match-winning for Team India and also decided the series in their favour.
Besides this, he was also extremely impressive with the ball in hand and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the T20 series with five wickets in two matches. Pandya also collected six wickets from three ODI matches at an average of 12.33. In the final ODI, he managed to dismiss batsmen like Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and Liam Livingstone.
Impressed by his outings with the ball, Gavaskar further said, “Also, coming in the middle overs when batters are looking to score the runs, bowling those overs and getting wickets, he is doing it brilliantly. It’s really good to see Hardik Pandya coming good.”
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