IND vs SL 2021: "Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya didn't quite deliver what selectors expected"- Brad Hogg
Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg feels Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya have not made the most of the opportunity given to them to show that they are capable of taking responsibility. In a relatively inexperienced Indian batting line-up against Sri Lanka, the two were among the most experienced batsmen.
Manish Pandey played all three ODIs and got starts in each of them. However, he failed to convert them into a big score and make his case stronger for a chance to play in the middle-order.
"You had Manish Pandey in the middle-order. It was a big opportunity for him to take and push the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan in the contention with the 50-over games coming up in the future. But he didn't," Brad Hogg said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Hardik Pandya had begun bowling in the ODI series and had the chance to show that he could contribute as a genuine all-rounder. However, that was not to be as he too failed miserably with the bat. Brad Hogg feels the duo have missed a huge opportunity to make their experience count.
"You've got Hardik Pandya who was given the opportunity to bat from No.7 to No.6, bat that little bit higher up the batting order, given a little bit of responsibility and he didn't stand up well. So India will look at that and think is Hardik going to be our genuine all-rounder at No.6? Not quite yet. Manish and Hardik Pandya didn't quite deliver what was expected by the selectors," Brad Hogg asserted.
You will see a lot of Suryakumar Yadav in 50-over format for India: Brad Hogg
While Pandey and Hardik were disappointing with the bat, Suryakumar Yadav rose to the occasion and won the player of the series in the ODIs against Sri Lanka. His counter-attacking brand of cricket caught the hosts off guard and his body language was excellent.
Brad Hogg feels Suryakumar has all but cemented his place in India's ODI side for the future. He also reckons the Mumbai lad could have a huge impact on India's chances at the T20 World Cup later this year.
"Someone like a Suryakumar has proven himself and delivered, and I think you will see him playing a lot more in the main team in the 50-over format. He is the player to watch out for India in the T20 World Cup and might even win the player of the series," Brad Hogg concluded.