India’s swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball in the world. He is a lean guy but when he decides to go for the maximum, he hits it as clean as anyone can and the ball, mostly, travels a long way.
In his short career so far, Pandya has played some brilliant knocks for India down the order and added more firepower to India’s lower middle-order. In this post, The Cricket Lounge’s Shivam Behl lists reasons why Hardik Pandya is one of the cleanest hitter.
1) Balance
One of the biggest reasons behind Pandya’s clean hitting is his ability to keep his head still while playing big strokes. The likes of AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli keep a still head while hitting big sixes and Pandya does exactly the same. He moves his hands very quickly and powerfully but maintains a very still head. Pandya keeps his hips free, keeps his balance with his legs and hits the ball out in front of him.
So, all you young batsmen out there, ‘still head’ is the most important factor if you want to become a good power hitter like Hardik Pandya.
2) Looks to hit straight
If you look back at Pandya’s best innings in limited overs cricket so far, you will notice that most of his sixes are down the ground. He lines up bowlers brilliantly and prefers hitting the ball in the ‘v’. Even in the nets, Pandya always looks to hit the ball straight and it is one of the major reasons behind his success as a power-hitter.
3) Calm mind
Despite the unrestrained destruction he unleashes with the bat with such regularity, Hardik Pandya is one of the coolest and calmest cricketers in the world. He plays the game with a big smile and this calmness of mind helps him in any situation against any bowler anywhere in the world in any format.
4) Not a slogger
Hardik Pandya can hit the ball a long way to the leg side, but he’s not a slogger. He deals brilliantly with length balls and shorter ones using the pull shot. He also plays elegant drives when the ball is pitched up.
Pandya isn’t wild, he is stylish.
5) Core strength
Hardik Pandya is an athlete. He doesn’t have big muscles but his biggest strength is in fast, powerful movements. He spends a lot of his time in the gym and keeps a very strict and healthy diet. This helps him in putting plenty of force into the ball.
