Hardik Pandya Carves Niche For Himself With Bat And Ball

Hardik Pandya always seemed to like speed. As a child he liked two-minute noodles and now as a young cricketer, he revels in quick scoring and bowling fast. South African speedster Dale Steyn is his hero and modelled his bowling action after him. After going through many ups and downs – both on the family front and on the cricketing greens – Pandya has finally announced his arrival on the international cricket firmament as a force.

In the just-concluded home one-day series against Australia, he shone with both bat and ball, drawing warm praise from the connoisseurs. So much so that some people have even started comparing him to arguably India’s best all-rounder, Kapil Dev. That comparison may be too early, but the Baroda kid does have the game to take him places. He is already seen as a key to India’s 2019 World Cup campaign.

Pandya, who turns 24 on October 11, seems a natural with both bat and ball. And after his remarkable performance against Australia, captain Virat Kohli said he was the “biggest asset” emerging from the series that India effortlessly won 4-1. Pandya’s all-round act -- 222 runs at an average of 55.50 and six wickets – won him the coveted Man of the Series award. Besides, Pandya won two Man-of-the-Match awards in the series, largely for his breathtaking batting. His match-winning 66-ball 83 at No.7 in the first ODI in Chennai and 72-ball 78 at No.4 in the third in Indore made everyone sit up and take notice of his big hitting game. Those knocks provided a glimpse of his talent and the ability to score fearlessly with amazing power in hands, particularly the bottom one. Now, he has another opportunity in the three T20 Internationals against Australia to build on that.

(PTI file photo)

Although all of Pandya’s deeds thus far point to a promising international career -- 26 ODIs, three Tests and 19 T20s -- some people are surprised at his sudden rise. However, one person who is not is former India wicket-keeper Kiran More, who coached Pandya at his Baroda academy since the time he joined it as a seven-year-old. “He was always a special talent. Players like him and Rishabh Pant are rare talent. Both Hardik and his elder brother Krunal had a passion for cricket,” says More. The former chairman of the national selection committee knows Pandya inside out as he has seen him grow and mature into a fine all-rounder.

At the Kiran More Cricket Academy in Baroda, Pandya’s main occupation was batting and leg-spin bowling. Then a providential incident that decisively changed his career happened. For a local league match in Baroda, a pacer in More’s academy team did not turn up and Hardik bowled fast that day in a career-changing decision. “It happened about five years ago. Till then he was bowling leg-spin but was struggling with it. In that match he bowled with a Dale Steyn-like action, took seven wickets in that match, and he hasn’t stopped bowling fast since. Due to bowling fast he sustained back and other injuries, though,” recalls More. “But after he joined Mumbai Indians his fitness has really improved because the IPL franchise has set high fitness standards. Then, he suddenly grew very tall.”

Not just in height, Pandya’s rapid rise through the ranks also surprised many people, including Sachin Tendulkar. Pandya’s Baroda captain Irfan Pathan, too, is pleased at his junior teammate’s progress. “His batting has always been good, but he will have to keep working on his bowling to maintain it. As an all-rounder, it’s important that he bowls his quota of 10 overs in one-dayers,” says Pathan. Ironically, Pathan, looking much leaner and fitter now, will be aiming to turn in good performance in this domestic season to try and stage a comeback to the Indian team for the same all-rounder’s spot Pandya is occupying. But the professional competition has not stopped the large-hearted Pathan to help Pandya by gifting him bats and other cricket stuff in the days when he couldn’t purchase them due to his family’s financial status.

Like Pathan, former India pacer Madan Lal, too, wants Pandya to bowl his quota of overs in ODIs to complete the all-rounder’s role. “He needs to bowl all 10 overs, though he has taken some crucial wickets in the ODI series against Australia. It’s because India need a bowling all-rounder,” he points out. New Baroda Ranji Trophy coach Atul Bedade hasn’t coached Pandya so far, but he too is impressed. “He adapts quickly to match situations. That is a key characteristic of his game. He is a ‘jugadoo’ [innovative] player,” says the former India ODI player. Bedade and Pandya might share the Baroda dressing room this season if the latter finds time from India team duty to represent his city in domestic matches.

Pandya has a quick, smooth run-up and generates a decent pace despite not having a very pronounced jump just before the delivery. His fascination with Steyn can’t be missed in his bowling action. As a batsman, Pandya loves to puncture the on-side field. When he whacks the five-and-a-half-ounce red cherry – irrespective of it being delivered by pacers or spinners -- it more often than not sails over the boundary rope, as the Aussie bowlers discovered recently. The belligerent hitter relishes smashing sixes, often several of them successively. This streak often changes the course of the match decisively. Ask Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi and Akash Sudan, who were all hit for successive sixes in IPL/domestic matches in recent times.

Interestingly, Pandya’s recent ODI success against Australia is a far cry from his T20 International debut at a packed Adelaide Oval onJanuary 26 last year. Bowling in front of 45,000 spectators, his first ever over in international cricket took 11 balls, including five wides. Since then, the slightly-built Pandya has overcome nerves and settled down well in the international arena, as he showed while hitting his maiden Test century in only his third match, against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in August. His first-innings 96-ball 108 set up India’s innings win and a 3-0 whitewash of the hosts.

One crucial factor has been that he has won the trust and confidence of captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. Pandya’s game, particularly batting, gives the Indian team management the option to play around the batting order, and maybe use him as a floater to surprise the opponents. However, Pandya’s real test will come on India’s upcoming Test tour of South Africa, starting in December. If he succeeds on the hard and bouncy pitches over there, it’ll give him a world of confidence to tackle the prodigious swing in cold England, where the team will travel next summer and then play the World Cup in 2019.

Pandya’s performance against Australia has made some people compare him with redoubtable Kapil Dev. “I don’t agree with that. Don’t even mention that. It’s too early to compare him with anyone. Let him grow for now,” cautions Madan Lal, who used to share the new ball with the legendary pacer. Pathan says Pandya can't escape being judged, much like other cricketers, all the time. “The process to judge players will never stop, so give Hardik the breathing space and let him flourish as well. International cricket is all about consistency and longevity,” he says.

For the time being, though, Pandya is high on confidence. It augurs well for both him and the India team as it next locks horns with New Zealand in an ODI and T20 series, starting October 22. Clearly, Pandya has a vast canvass in front of him to express himself in full.