Superstar all-rounder Hardik Pandya is back, and he’s back with a “surprise” – as he had himself said before the start of IPL 2022. Captain of the Gujarat Titans, the “surprise” Pandya has for the fans is that he’s not only bowling again – he’s clocking 140 KPH speeds.
Against the Delhi Capitals, Hardik Pandya, who hasn’t bowled in the IPL for the last two seasons, shared the new ball with Shami and struck a wicket instantly. So, clearly, his hard work of the past few months when he’d been away from the game – he didn’t play a single high-level game since the T20 World Cup leading into the IPL – has come to fruition as far as his bowling is concerned.
Now, regarding his batting, talking over the captaincy mantle for the first time in the IPL, Hardik Pandya decided to promote himself to number 4 for the Titans. In the first game against Lucknow, in a successful run chase of 159, Hardik scored 33 runs off 28 balls; in the second match, against Delhi, the right-hander, again batting at number 4, scored 31 off 27 balls.
Hardik Pandya has made a big visible change in his batting.
Conspicuously, Hardik the batsman is not the Hardik of Mumbai Indians, when he was an utterly fearsome finisher with a strike rate of 153. At the moment, in two games for Gujarat, his strike rate has been below 120. However, since he’s playing the anchor role, this has given other around him – Miller and Tewatia in the first match; Gill in the second – the license to tee off without any worry of a collapse as their skipper has decided to drop anchor and control the proceedings. The strategy has fared well so far.
But, is it sustainable? Especially given that Hardik Pandya will also be eyeing a comeback to India’s T20I squad where the top and middle order are jam-packed and he can only return as a finisher.
In the IPL, Hardik’s best positions have been the number 4 – average of 56, strike rate of 160, but the sample size is only 8 matches – and number 6- average of 36, strike rate of 182.
So, we believe: though Hardik Pandya wants to take the initiative as Gujarat’s skipper, and maybe also send a message to the national selectors about him taking more responsibility as a batter, Hardik should revert to the number 6 position.
Apart from the fact that that number 6 slot is the one which Hardik Pandya can occupy in the national T20I side, in the Titans’ eleven, young and inexperienced Abhinav Manohar is getting slotted at number 7.
Players like Miller and Tewatia don’t need time to set themselves in, but maybe Manohar does. If Manohar is promoted to number 4, it will give the youngster more opportunity to flourish while Hardik Pandya can take the number 6 position and – given his fitness keeps up – he will seamlessly return to India’s eleven.
