Kedar Jadhav vs Hardik Pandya: The race to find the ace all-rounder is on
Saturday's encounter between Australia and India was every cricket fan's delight. The immaculate bowling, the uneven bounce in the wicket, the tensed moments, all made for an instant classic. Kedar Jadhav's partnership of 141 runs with the former captain MSD, ensured that the team did not falter after any further.
While the Dhoni debate has clamoured a lot of media attention over the past year, it is the problem of selection of a reliable all-rounder that is wreathing the Indian team's think tanks.
Jadhav, with his knock of 81* in the first ODI just reaffirmed his presence in the limited overs side. It was his second knock of 50+ runs in the year 2019, his knock of 61* also came against the Aussies, in a winning cause.
Jadhav has scored 1083 runs in ODIs so far at an impressive average of 47.09. His clean striking ability coupled with the knack of rotating the strike makes him a top contender for the coveted no.6 spot in the Indian batting line up.
Jadhav is often referred to as 'the man with the golden arm' by on-air commentators for his uncanny ability to stall the opposition's momentum by picking up important wickets. Jadhav's economy of 4.94 in the ODI format is certainly a decisive factor, as far as his selection is concerned.
Hardik Pandya, the man who courted a lot of controversy in the recent past for his statements on a talk show, has made his return to the national side. His knock of 45 off 22 balls against NZ in the final ODI of the 5 match series gave the selectors some food for thought.
His exclusion from the ODI squad against Australia is owed to back injury. As a right-arm medium-fast bowler, he has picked up 44 wickets from 45 ODIs, at an economy of 5.53.
Captain Kohli's predilection for MS Dhoni at the no.5 spot makes the no.6 spot an area of concern. Jadhav has produced some mind-boggling knocks as a no.6 batsman, like his 120 off just 76 balls against England in 2017.
The knock helped the team come out of dire straits at 63/4. The fact that Jadhav can keep his cool in uncertain situations is a mark of an excellent reader of the game. Pandya has emerged as an aggressive and risk-taking batsman, evident from his whopping strike rate of 116.59 in ODIs.
He can muscle the ball a long way while playing against the spinners. Jadhav's strike rate of 105 may be good, but not as good as Pandya's. Notably, Pandya has played in situations where he constantly ran out of partners. His knock of 76 in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017 is a classic example.
As far as bowling is concerned, Jadhav's bowling strike rate of 38.27 is relatively better than Pandya's 43.05. Pandya's best bowling effort of 3/31 is also overshadowed by his teammate's 3/23.
The Indian team contingent to the World Cup will require the services of the best all-rounder. Considering the strong bowling line up that team India has, there is a possibility of the inclusion of 5 bowlers in the squad. With that being said, the middle order has its task cut out.