Why the hype surrounding Hardik Pandya is premature
After finding a footing in the Mumbai Indians squad, Hardik Pandya’s career found new opportunities in the Indian Cricket Team. It will take years for the memories from the last over of the thrilling India Vs Bangladesh match to disappear into dust. The match which saw iconoclasts turning into believers. The match which redefined hope. And the match in which a “hero” was born.
The anxious crowd in Chinnaswamy Stadium, and fans all across the country and overseas, survived a ferocious panic as moments later, the 22-year-old young lad from Jamshedpur, sealed the deal for men in blue, with a nail-biting one-run win over neighbors Bangladesh.
The sizeable share of credit for the miraculous win was given to Hardik Pandya, who bowled the last and the most deadly over of the clash. In no time, several headlines surfaced on social media. “Pandya-the hero India needed”, “Hardik Pandya – an overnight sensation” and the like.
The crucial over from Jasprit Bumrah and Ashwin’s economical bowling went unacknowledged.
From the television to the newspapers, forwarded WhatsApp messages to Facebook memes, the Mumbai Indians player, yet to even find a proper footing in the team, became the most talked about cricketer in the country. But wait, is it not too soon to make a sensation out of him?
Is it not too early to give extra wings to a career which has just begun two months ago?
Let us take a brief look at his performance vs New Zealand and Pakistan. Although he wasn’t given much of an opportunity vs New Zealand, his one and only over in which he gave away ten runs proved why other bowlers had to be prioritized over him.
Against arch-rivals Pakistan, the youngster bowled two expensive overs for 25 runs, but safeguarded the team from the potential threat of a blinder of an innings from Shahid Afridi. And not to forget, he was highly lauded for his phenomenal catch off Sharjeel Khan’s shot.
Not that his contribution did not do much benefit to the team, but still, he is yet to make use of the other side of his two-edged sword as a batsman. He contributed a single against New Zealand and 15 runs against Bangladesh, failing to be a solution to the team’s no. 7 woes.
The matches following his one-match stardom will tell if the boy has firmly plastered his place in the team. However, the expectations from the boy after his last over contribution in the crucial India vs Bangladesh match have grown by leaps and bounds.
It will be interesting to watch his play in place of the top-class Harbhajan Singh who is benched for the do-or-die India Vs Australia clash. To be remembered as a certain Joginder Sharma, the boy has a long way to go!
Let us also keep in mind that the right-arm medium-fast bowler is yet to find a place in the Test and ODI squad. Maybe we would call him a “hero” and a “sensation” once he proves himself as a match-winner on an overseas field?
Hailing from an unpresuming background, the boy sure played a crucial part in keeping India’s hopes alive as one of the world cup contenders and carved a niche for himself. But only the big clash tonight and a couple of more matches in the near future can decide the fate of the fresher in Indian cricket.
Not that we want to demean his remarkable efforts, but let us not garnish too many praises too soon.
Hoping that Hardik Pandya can contribute both with his bat and ball tonight to lead team India into the semi-finals of the marquee world t20 tournament and justify himself with all the praiseworthy headlines.