5 reasons why Hardik Pandya must be nurtured
Indian cricket has always lacked good seam bowling all-rounders, so much so that an oasis in a desert would be an easier task than finding a quality all-rounder who can bowl with pace. In a country with such a long cricketing history, it is a bit of an embarrassment that it has produced only Kapil Dev as a prominent name in the department of fast bowling all-rounders.
Indian selectors have given multiple chances to various seam bowling all-rounders in the recent years but nobody has performed to the required level.
Hardik Pandya is India’s latest fast-bowling all-rounder to catch the eye of the selectors and he seems to be different from others. Firstly, he has got the pace clocking speeds of above 135kph and his clean striking abilities with the bat are an added bonus.
He is somebody who can be an important cog in the Indian team in the future and this is why he must be nurtured by Indian cricket.
So let’s look at the five biggest reasons why Hardik Pandya must be nurtured:
#1 Pandya can be the finisher that India needs
MS Dhoni is in the twilight of his career and apart from him, India don’t have a recognised finisher in their ranks. Suresh Raina, who was the heir to Dhoni’s position, has been extremely inconsistent over the last year. Pandya has got all the abilities to become the finisher that India sorely needs.
He has got clean striking abilities and he is a brilliant runner between the wickets. His aggression with the bat is ideally suited for the number seven position where he can score some quick runs.
Even in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand in the current series – even though he didn’t complete his task successfully – his calmness at the crease and the way he batted with a tail-ender was admirable. Young and flamboyant, he can be a long-term solution to the finisher’s problem that India is currently facing.