Coach Dravid hopes Pandya can find his sweet spot for India too
All-rounder hasn’t played for India since their exit from last year’s T20 WC but will be high on confidence after his showing in the IPL
NEW DELHI: On a hot and sultry Monday evening at the Feroz Shah Kotla, India’s first practice session ahead of the T20s against South Africa—starting Thursday—was as much about the players missing as those in attendance. Hardik Pandya was conspicuously absent, enjoying an extra day off after the exertions of reaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) final where he led Gujarat Titans to the title in their inaugural season.
Pandya turned up on Tuesday, getting into the groove with sprints and warm-up routines before moving onto the nets. Watching from close proximity was head coach Rahul Dravid, who will work with the allrounder for the first time since he took charge in November 2021.
Pandya hasn’t played for India since their premature exit from last year’s T20 World Cup owing to a combination of form and fitness issues.
At the World Cup, neither was he having the desired impact with the bat nor was he able to bowl his quota of overs to lend all-round balance to the side.
The turnaround in IPL was emphatic, not just assuming greater responsibility of batting predominantly at No 4 but also bowling at full tilt once again. In the process, he has banged the door down and compelled the national selectors to pick him again.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dravid was chuffed to have his premier all-rounder back in the mix.
“Of course, it is really pleasing to have him back. Hardik at his best is a fantastic cricketer with both bat and ball,” Dravid told reporters on Tuesday.
“We have seen that with India in the past. He has been very successful in white-ball cricket and has shown some really good form in the IPL too. To have someone of his quality available to pick is great. I just met him a couple of hours ago. The good thing from our perspective is that he has started bowling again. We know what kind of depth that brings to our side. So really for us, it is about ensuring that we can get the best out of him as a cricketer in terms of his batting and bowling.”
While Pandya’s all-round ability is a major plus – India’s recent efforts to find an alternative in Venkatesh Iyer haven’t quite paid off – the 28-year-old has further expanded his range of attributes by batting in the middle-order and excelling as captain in the IPL.
With Dinesh Karthik likely to play the role of the finisher after an exemplary IPL season for Royal Challengers Bangalore, perhaps continuing with Pandya higher up the order may not be a bad idea for this series.
Assuming that Ishan Kishan opens alongside stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer bats at his preferred No 3 slot while Rishabh Pant bats at No 5, the No 4 slot is certainly up for grabs.
Without giving much away, Dravid said that players will have to be ready to play different roles for India from what they do for their IPL franchises.
“I think in general, the role that you play with your franchise matches the role you play for India, but sometimes, you have
Matches Hardik Pandya has played in his T20I career. His last game was against Namibia in 2021 T20 WC
Pandya’s batting strike rate in T20IS. He has hit 32 sixes in 54 games
Number of wickets Pandya has taken for India in the shortest version to play different roles for different teams. You also play a particular role for your first-class side but might have different requirements to fulfill for India. For all the players, the roles they play for their franchises might be slightly different from what we expect for India based on our team combination and the players who are already established in different positions,” said Dravid.
Pandya’s leadership potential was also brought up for discussion given the calmness he exuded while wading through an extremely long and challenging IPL season with Gujarat Titans.
“His leadership was very impressive right through the IPL. In essence, you don’t have to be designated as a leader to be part of any leadership group,” said Dravid.
While Rahul is at the helm of affairs for these five T20IS in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Pandya can certainly be counted on to chip in with his inputs.
READ: ‘Dinesh Karthik has been a point of difference in T20s’