Sunday was an important day for the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya who took a major step ahead in his career and took the field against Bangladesh at the Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad as the captain of India A side. What should have been a memorable day for the youngster who has taken giant strides in last 2 years, started off as his biggest nightmare.
Pandya took the responsibility of sharing the new ball with Chama Milind while the latter struck early, Pandya was dispatched all over the park by the visitors. Before he could have realised, he ended up conceding 29 runs from his first 3 overs and was forced to come out of the attack.
This was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the youngster before he is graduated to the senior side but now that looks like a distant dream and today’s performance is just one reason for that. When you assess what Pandya adds to the Indian side, he is definitely an asset in the shorter formats. A player who could bowl at a decent pace, contribute with the bat and is an extremely good fielder is always a blessing for any captain.
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But, that cannot be said when it comes to Test cricket. Is Pandya someone who can make the red ball move and pick wickets for you? Does he have a sound technique to score runs in difficult conditions of Australia and England? Well, from what we have seen so far, the answer is, NO.
Moreover, in Test cricket, it’s difficult to find who he is competing against. Pandya surely cannot replace one of the fast bowlers in the side which means he competing against R Ashwin for a place in the playing XI who has matured into an all-rounder and Pandya is unlikely to win that competition.
While selectors are backing him to come good and are continuously picking him in the squad, they need to evaluate what exactly could be his role in the white jersey.