At his finest, few do what Hardik Pandya does. His presents are uncommon and a number of other — like hitting the primary ball he faces out of the bottom; like whipping up a six-hitting carnage, like clocking 140 kph along with his first ball; like seaming at this tempo in beneficial circumstances. He can put on a number of garbs — that of the selfless, single-ticking sidekick for Virat Kohli; that of the tie-end-up assist act for Jasprit Bumrah, a finisher with the bat in addition to the ball. On seaming surfaces, he can transfer the ball each methods; on sluggish decks, he unleashes his cutters and slower balls; he brings steadiness and ballast, however solely when he’s at his finest.
Pandya is sort of a lab-designed multitasking specimen of a cricketer, however for a physique that wilts within the cauldron of worldwide cricket. There might be gamers extra expert than him in particular person sides. But as a healthful package deal, males like him are uncommon. More so for a rustic the place fast-bowling all-rounders not often sprout; even when they do, not with Pandya-like pedigree. Little marvel then that coaches, captain, followers, or whoever is intently monitoring Indian cricket, maintain a tab on him, despite the fact that he final performed a Test three years in the past, and his appearances in white-ball cricket are sporadic of late. Even in these video games, he appeared like an imposter of his peak years.
In his injury-free glory days, Pandya regularly influenced video games. Among people who have made their debuts after he has — in 2016—nobody has managed to attain runs at a strike fee of 116. Combined with a median of 32 for somebody who bats at no. 6 or 7, he was certainly an actual deal. In this span, solely Rohit Sharma has struck extra sixes within the 50-over-game than him both (54). Pandya wreaked pure destruction in his previous few knocks — the 76-balled 90 in Sydney, the 92 not out of the identical variety of balls in Canberra, or the whirlwind 63 from 44 balls towards England in Pune. Those have been knocks that lend credence to the speculation of selecting him purely for his big-hitting prowess.
Before accidents stymied him, Pandya’s bowling was equally impactful. He stuffed in largely because the third seamer, operated on the dying and when handed the brand new ball, commonly nabbed wickets too. Like on his 50-over debut in Dharamsala when he ran by New Zealand’s prime order, or his thrifty spells throughout the 2017 Champions Trophy and in South Africa (2018). But a cameo bowler as he’s now, bereft of his previous tempo and venom, he’s not an automated within the eleven or the squad. So simply as Pandya is looking for his previous self, so are the selectors in a quest to search out an alternate or alternative, not his carbon copy perhaps, however not less than somebody who may fill within the a number of roles he may. Several of them might be thrust into the Pandya position with an eye fixed on the 2023 World Cup.
Like for like (?): Shardul Thakur
Thakur can bat, and in current type is a greater bowler than Pandya. He won’t have the tempo of Pandya, however is artful, with a knack of manufacturing the precise ball on the proper time. He has an entire palette of white-ball methods to select from, headlined by a knuckle-ball, and will put in a formidable shift with the brand new ball too. But within the 50-over format, he’s primarily a bowler who can bat. In 10 innings, he has already smacked a half-century, averages 39.40 and scores at 127. But it’s preposterous to think about him a like-for-like alternative for Pandya, for 3 causes. A) He has by no means performed beneath the all-rounder tag, which is a burden. B) Most of his runs have are available in comparatively pressure-free environments. Though helpful, his runs didn’t make a large distinction ultimately. C) There was no strain of expectations.
So, one should wait until he replicates these efforts in a crunch state of affairs earlier than a judgment might be handed.
A query of batting: Washington Sundar
His utility with the ball, although totally different, is on par with peak Pandya. He can take the brand new ball, decide wickets, apply the choke within the center overs and bowl within the final 10. He is a dogged batsman too, however the huge query is whether or not he may orchestrate mayhem like Pandya. Sundar’s strike charges in T20s (119) and List A (79) recommend that his strategy is extra orthodox than postmodern. But he’s 22, with oodles of potential, and might be manufactured right into a big-hitting all-rounder within the Pandya mould earlier than the following World Cup.
Similar, not similar: Ravindra Jadeja
Whether Pandya performs or not, Jadeja is a assured starter. With the ball, his position is totally different — he’s a spinner and primarily a middle-over thrift service provider. Like Pandya, he can freewheel, however not from ball one. These days, he takes his time earlier than teeing off. He has sacrificed a few of his sprint in his pursuit to rework right into a Test-match all-rounder. In current outings in 50-over cricket, Jadeja did rekindle some previous enterprise, however can he whip up such fury on a constant foundation? Besides, the overall feeling is that one wants two finishers/late-order explosive batsmen in a group.
A query of bowling: Deepak Hooda
Hooda struck the precise notes on his debut on Sunday, displaying maturity beneath strain whereas scoring an unbeaten 26. After an erratic part, he has matured and appears outfitted to take care of the standard on the worldwide degree, however the huge query mark is whether or not he can bowl. A helpful off-spinner, an everyday within the Indian Premier League, after his motion was cleared a number of years in the past, a lot will depend on whether or not he may commonly chip in with a number of stingy overs. India have already got too many batsmen who don’t bowl. Besides, he has but to duplicate his big-hitting expertise on the worldwide degree. ODIs, when in comparison with IPL, are a distinct kettle of fish.
The outsider: Shahrukh Khan
The 26-year-old from Chennai might be damaging with the bat and is pretty constant on this format (List A), however worldwide cricket is a step up. The bowlers he encounters can be faster and smarter. He has not made a lot of an affect within the IPL both. Besides, his all-round potential is proscribed, and is never summoned in home cricket. But if the selectors are in pursuit of somebody who may go berserk with out fussing round, he’s an choice. He wants grooming although.
None of those 5 names, or the recalled Rishi Dhawan or the snubbed Vijay Shankar, are fairly like Pandya. But till Pandya begins doing what he does, the chase for a big-hitting all-rounder can be on.