"Added a new dimension to his game" - Parthiv Patel on Hardik Pandya's improved batting performances
Former India player Parthiv Patel recently pointed out that Hardik Pandya has shown tremendous improvement as a batter since his return after a back injury. He reckoned that the right-hander has made adjustments to his batting as per the situation.
The cricketer-turned-commentator mentioned that Hardik Pandya played with an attacking approach in his initial years as he was given the role of a finisher. Patel opined that the swashbuckling batter has now proved that he can also steady the ship for the side when required by playing sensibly.
Parthiv Patel stated on Cricbuzz:
"Hardik Pandya has added a new dimension to his game. Earlier, he used to be a pure finisher, but he has shown that he can also stabilize the innings. He played with a single approach and now looks to adjust his game as per the situation. It is good to see that he has transferred the maturity that he showed in the IPL to international cricket as well."
The talismanic all-rounder has been on a roll lately. He performed exceptionally well with bat and ball in this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). He led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a stunning championship win in their inaugural season.
Pandya was impressive in the five-match T20I series against South Africa as well. It is worth mentioning that he has been named captain for India's impending two-match T20I series in Ireland.
India Squad
Hardik Pandya (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
"He is someone who can play in all gears" - Ashish Nehra on Hardik Pandya
Ashish Nehra, who was the head coach of GT in IPL 2022, stated that Hardik Pandya has the ability to shift gears at will while batting. He suggested that the 28-year-old will only get better with time.
He mentioned that Pandya hadn't batted in the top order much prior to this year's cash-rich league. He noted that the player has the experience and ability to excel at that position as well.
Ashish Nehra said:
"The more you play, the better you get at reading situations. There were apprehesions about him playing up the order as he had only played at No.5 or No.6 for Mumbai Indians. He is a player who can play in all gears. People had not seen that before, but a lot of things happen for the first time. He has the talent and the experience."
Pandya mustered 117 runs from four appearances against South Africa. He had a brilliant batting average of 58.50 along with a fantastic strike rate of 153.94.