T20 World Cup 2022: 3 reasons why Hardik Pandya's batting form is a worry for India ahead of the semi-finals
Hardik Pandya came into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 as arguably India's most valuable player in the format. Ever since making a comeback to the set-up in June this year, he has reestablished himself as a player worth his weight in gold courtesy of his all-round prowess.
Having said that, it has been a mixed bag of fortunes for him across departments this T20 World Cup. While he has picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.46, his batting returns have left much more to be desired. With just 65 runs at a strike rate of 101.56, Pandya has endured a tough campaign with the bat so far.
While it hasn't necessarily affected India's run in the tournament so far, it remains a cause for concern ahead of the semi-final clash against England in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10.
Let's look at three reasons why:
#1 The lack of runs from Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel
Unlucky!
Dinesh Karthik gets run-out 😕
#indvsban #t20worldcup #crickettwitter https://t.co/lw77tQnmFs
Dinesh Karthik was recalled to the Indian team for the specific role he brings as a finisher. A lackluster campaign at the T20 World Cup, though, opened the doors for Rishabh Pant, who got a go against Zimbabwe. However, the southpaw couldn't leave a mark of his own.
Axar Patel has also endured a tough campaign with the bat. in particular. and the onus automatically falls on Pandya to do the finishing job. Given that he bats at No. 5 or even No. 6 (should India stick with Pant), his entry point shifts to the second half of the innings on most days.
Time isn't a luxury for him to build his way into an innings. He has enough muscle power and no boundary rope in the world is big enough for him to clear. But his lack of rhythm and runs is an even bigger worry, with the rest of his colleagues entrusted with finishing the innings also not stepping up.
#2 The Mark Wood factor - velocity on a hard length
The duo of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer exposed a major chink in Pandya's batting game last year when England toured India. Bombarded him with the short ball ploy and deliveries on a hard length, their velocity was too hot for the maverick all-rounder to handle.
Teams have made it a point to adopt that strategy against the Gujarat Titans skipper thereafter. Even in the T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan, a well-set Pandya found it tough to negotiate the heat generated by Haris Rauf whenever it was dug into the surface.
Wood has clocked the fastest delivery of the T20 World Cup thus far at 154.74 kmph while also getting bounce off the surface to great effect.
Pandya's form and evident weakness against real quick bowling off a hard length automatically cast this match-up into the spotlight, given the speedster's past success against him. Definitely, something to think about as far as the Men in Blue are concerned.
#3 Kohli, and Suryakumar can't do the heavy lifting every game
A feature of India's T20 World Cup campaigns of yore has been a carry job on the part of Virat Kohli with the bat. He hasn't been alone for a change this time, although there is only so much that even Suryakumar Yadav can do.
The openers have been tentative while the lower middle-order issues have also been put into perspective. Pandya is one man who can certainly ease the load on Kohli and Suryakumar, and even get the former skipper to accelerate a lot earlier. But that's where his lack of sufficient returns comes under the scanner again.
Mind you, at least one of Kohli and Suryakumar has scored a half-century in each of India's games thus far. The final flourish hasn't been a worry when the Men in Blue have had either of them around in the slog-overs. It is when preparing for the worst - the match where both endure an off day - that India need Pandya to do their bidding.
So far, his returns haven't promised much and that is a big concern heading into the semi-final bout against England. Whether he can turn that around or not is something that only time has an answer to.
Can Hardik Pandya flip his batting fortunes around in the T20 World Cup knockouts? Let us know in the comments section below!
Also read: 3 New Zealand players who might be playing their last T20 World Cup