IND vs PAK 2022: Is Hardik Pandya India's best all-rounder?
It was a perfect redemption for Hardik Pandya at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday (August 28). Rollback to 2018, he was stretchered off the field for an acute lower back injury. He clutched his back during his follow-through and was seen lying motionless.
The same Asia Cup and the same opposition were in front of him on Sunday. India, in their chase of a modest 148, had wobbled off despite Virat Kohli's anchor innings. Ravindra Jadeja held the fort with a crucial 29-ball-35 but was cleaned up in the final over while trying for a glory heave.
But a different version of Hardik Pandya was still around. In the first innings, he recorded a 3/25 with the ball and later stitched together a 52-run stand with Jadeja. In what was a more MSD-esque move, he took the game deep, picking those quick twos and sneaking in those cheeky-yet-rewarding singles.
It was in the 19th over when he decided to take on Haris Rauf. He cracked three fours to bring the equation down to seven runs in the final over, before ka-blaming a six off Mohammad Nawaz to take India home with two balls to spare. His celebration was fairly simple — a calm nod to the fact that he was still there.
This knock marked him as a player who has come of age. Flamboyance and swagger off the field have now managed to make their way into his game and for India, that's good news as they head into a rebuild sometime in the next couple of years.
Hardik Pandya holds the key for India ahead of T20 World Cup
Here are Hardik Pandya's numbers with the bat and ball in T20Is since his debut in 2016. While his numbers with the bat saw a steady climb, his bowling took a backseat, following the injury that restricted him from steaming in at full throttle.
While his caliber as a top-class player was never in question, his fitness was always, and the start of the IPL 2022 saw a leaner and fitter version of Pandya. India skipper Rohit Sharma brought up all that the Baroda all-rounder had done during the presentation:
"Since Hardik's comeback into this team, he's been brilliant. Had a great IPL too. His batting qualities we all know, he has been brilliant with the bat since he came into the team."
Echoing this was Hardik Pandya himself:
"In bowling, it's important to assess the situations and use your weapons. For me, bowling short and the hard lengths have been my strengths. It's about using them well and asking the right questions to make the batters commit a mistake. In a chase like this, you always plan over-by-over.
"I always knew that there is one young bowler and also one left-arm spinner. We only needed 7 off the last over but even if we needed 15, I'd have fancied myself. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me in the 20th over. I try to keep things simple."
The onus is more on Pandya in the days to come. With India having a packed schedule leading up to the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year, workload management and his own form will be crucial for the country.
For now, there's no doubt that Pandya is the best all-rounder for India at the moment. Per the ICC T20I all-rounder's ranking, he's placed at 13, but it's only a matter of time before he climbs those rungs.
With Ravindra Jadeja still being looked at as a bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya as a top-order batter will be in India's plans as they look to the future. If he's giving his side four good overs and 20 runs in quick time in T20Is, his job's done. And by the looks of it, he seems to have understood it too.