4 reasons why Hardik Pandya is not India's main problem
It's fair to say that India's tour of England has not gone to plan so far. The men in blue find themselves 2-0 down in the five-match series. The defeat by an innings and 159 runs at Lord's was one of the most embarrassing ones for Indian cricket in a long time.
In such times, questions are bound to be raised. A lot of them by fans and the media have been directed towards Hardik Pandya. His inclusion in the test team was a controversial one and hence the spotlight has been on him. However, much of that is unfair and to no fault of his own.
#4 Pandya's performances
From the outset, scores of 22, 31, 11 and 26 are not inspiring and might justify the criticism enforced on him. However, the numbers need to be viewed in context and subjectively. With 90 runs in four innings, Pandya is India's second highest run scorer in the series after the magnificent Virat Kohli.
Except for Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin, none of the other Indian batsmen have even got a combined 50 runs in the series so far. While hardly getting to bowl in Edgbaston, When the captain did hand over the ball to him in the second test, Pandya responded by getting three wickets.
Eight months earlier, the story was similar in South Africa. The Baroda all-rounder with 119 runs in 6 innings was once again India's second highest run scorer in the series behind Virat Kohli.
In no means are Pandya's numbers good enough. If he wants to become a permanent member of the squad, he has to definitely do more. However, when the established batsmen have only half the runs he has in England, it is unfair to put the blame on someone who is yet to even play 10 test matches.