“As soon as he comes, the momentum drops down” - Wasim Jaffer reckons Hardik Pandya’s batting form a concern
Former batter Wasim Jaffer reckons T20I captain Hardik Pandya’s batting form is a definite cause for concern for the Indian team. According to Jaffer, Pandya has clearly looked rusty with the willow and has failed to accelerate, putting pressure on the other batters.
India were hammered by West Indies by eight wickets in the deciding T20I in Florida on Sunday, losing the five-match series 3-2. Batting first after winning the toss, they posted 165-9, a total the Windies gunned down in 18 overs.
Pandya struggled with the bat, managing only 14 in 18, hitting one six. During a post-match show on ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer admitted that India should be worried over the all-rounder’s lack of contributions with the bat.
"Well, it has been a concern. He looks little rusty. We can't see that free-flowing Hardik Pandya who comes in and strikes it sweetly. It doesn't (just) mean hitting sixes but striking it nicely, rotating the strike.
"Apart from the fifty he scored in the 3rd ODI, where also he started very slowly, and picked it up in the slog overs. But even then he looked a little rusty," Jaffer opined.
The former India opener pointed out that Pandya cannot expect to accelerate the innings every time after getting off to a slow start.
"That's a concern for me. Looking at how Hardik Pandya batted in the series, that was a big concern. Not every time he is going to start slowly, and he is going to finish strongly.
"We could see this during this series as well. As soon as he comes, the momentum drops down, the strike rate comes down and puts the pressure on the other guys and the dugout as well. Something for him to worry, take note and improve," the former player added.
Pandya managed only 77 runs in four innings in the T20I series at an average of 25.67 and a strike rate of 110.
“Consistency of the batters was a major issue” - Jaffer on India’s T20I series loss
Reflecting on India’s disappointing performance in the T20I series, Jaffer opined that, apart from Pandya, most of the others in the batting department also lacked consistency.
“The consistency of the batters was a major issue - Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan in the T20 format. When you have got so many guys who are not performing at their best, you do get results like that,” the former cricketer concluded
While Samson managed only 32 runs in three innings in the T20Is, Gill scored 102 runs in five innings and Kishan 33 runs in two innings.