Despite a couple of reticent outings in the Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya was back on song against Australia in the curtain-raiser as he blitzed an unbeaten 71 from 30 balls. It was rampage unparalleled as he took over the reins just ahead of the finishing stages and set up the pyrotechnics perfectly to adorn India’s half of the high-scoring encounter at Mohali.
As we talk about the return of the Indian players to form, Hardik Pandya’s presence in the middle order has totally changed the narrative for the Men in Blue as he continues go deliver day in day out. Here are five reasons why he is a beast unstoppable.
#1 A multi-coloured arsenal
Hardik is an exceptionally well-groomed stroke player and not only he executes them with perfection but the kind of innovation that he has stitched over the last few months places him right at the top of India’s most phenomenal weapons. Now when the batter starts coming up with a new stroke in every alternate delivery, what follows suit is the bowler being forced to think out of the box and not always you get to savour the fruits of your extraordinary thinking.
#2 Nimble-footed
He keeps on shuffling inside the popping crease, making life a lot more difficult for the bowlers to pick their spots. He isn’t pre-meditating his strokes but the incessant moves inside the popping crease throws the bowler of his actual plans. Hence, you either speed up your thoughts and bowl to his line and length or you simply be prepared to be smacked around the park.
#3 Terrific range
In today’s cricket, power-hitters are a common scene and as Hardik takes the pedestal, you can sit back in the stands and yet get some catching practice as he has terrific striking power in his arms. He can pick you up ball by ball and launch you out of the park. The best part about range is that, he is also aware of which shots to play and which boundaries to pick. Greater the range, greater the strokes.
#4 Ability to deliver under pressure
Somehow, he is reestablishing himself as the leader of the middle-order that took bowlers head-on and launched those monumental strokes. It is not always easy to come out in the middle and accumulate your shots. However, once Hardik is in, for him it is going to be some extraordinary stroke play without taking a step back. Pressure or not, clutch or not, he plays according to the needs of the game.
#5 Ability to lead
Pandya has already proven himself in IPL that how capable of a leader he can be. If you remember his nod against Pakistan before administering the coup-de-grace, then you would remember that the kind of confidence that he showed last night before he smashed those three sixes in the final over, is just an underline of his leadership quality. You don’t give birth to leaders, you make them. Hardik is just one of the latter.
