Dear India - Please don't make the same mistake with Hardik Pandya Pakistan made with Shahid Afridi!

[Pete Rose]

This quote from TMS sums Pandya up

Another change from Kohli. Hardik Pandya replaces Ishant Sharma. I think that tells you that India are struggling for control.

Pandya has his collar turned up and a silver chain dangling out of his shirt. I don't mean to be nasty but you need to be a little better if you're going to strut around like Curtly Ambrose.

This is wise insight in to the game

 

[Titan24]

Lol! Funny thread comparing a street cricketer with someone who has more than 8000 ODI runs with close to 400 wickets with fans around the globe. Not to forget how many kids he must have inspired to play cricket.

Just to let you know I am not his fan but cant deny these things, problem was not with Afridi it was with team management. He worked well with malik and razzaq as all rounder but he was always a bowling all rounder even at the start of his career. It was just that his hitting ability effected the judgement, at 6 down every team in the world would like to have a player like him but trying to force him into an all rounder was bad for Pak and for Afridi. World cup 2015 was a glaring example where he was batting at 5 down.

Pandya has nothing in his bowling or batting to match afridi. Even if can be half as good as afridi, he will go as a legend in India.

Yes Pandya can hit some sixes to spinners.

Even Aftidi’s test record is much better than many so called all rounders

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Afridi is extremely under-rated here on PP.

The guy carried us throughout WT20 '07, WT20 '09 and WC2011 not to forget his unbelievable transformation as a very good leggie throughout 2009-2015 (esp. in T20s) when his batting was slowly fading away.

Comparing him to Pandya is like comparing Flintoff to Faheem Ashraf.

 

[enkidu_]

Afridi has been mismanaged. If he was played as a spin bowling all rounder (leggie who could bat down the order, fast 20s or 30s are ofc always valuable), and not as a batsman "who can bowl" (for many years that was sadly his role, not even a batting all rounder), he would have been hailed as one of the all-time ODI greats, which in fact he still somehow is, even if now mainly seen as a poor man's Jayasuriya. His fastest hundred was a sort of a curse for his future career, in a way, as everyone expected too much from him since then.

Even if his bowling ODI stats might not look good from Pak standards (Abdul Qadir/Saqlain Mushtaq/Ajmal all averaged around 25 or less), his wickets tally/average there compare very well with India's two long time ODI spin options, Kumble/Bhajji, and ofc add to that his batting.

I don't think Pandaya has the same "potential" (to see what he does with what he has is another matter).

 

[Bhaijaan]

Pandya's blistering cameos 45overs+ into the game are crucial. Very crucial. Makes him a must to the team.

 

[Napa]

Pandya's blistering cameos 45overs+ into the game are crucial. Very crucial. Makes him a must to the team.

Pandya's 45 (22) gave India a total to defend after have being 18/4.

His bowling wasn't too bad, though he got hammered at the end, which happens.

 

[Mamoon]

The likes of Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Kuldeep etc. get a lot of coverage and rightly so, but I believe that players like Pant and Pandya are the reason why India will be the best team in the world across formats for years to come. They have added a new dimension to this Indian side.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Pandya's 45 (22) gave India a total to defend after have being 18/4.

His bowling wasn't too bad, though he got hammered at the end, which happens.

People need to be more realistic with their expectations from Pandya as a bowler. He's already punched above his weight as a bowler. He was never going to be a frontline bowler.

I am okay with his 6-7 overs a match. He does take wickets that compensates for the runs he gives away.

As a lower order henchman he is an absolute must though.

 

[saeed5646]

Pandya's 45 (22) gave India a total to defend after have being 18/4.

His bowling wasn't too bad, though he got hammered at the end, which happens.

the whole story

,Shankar and rayudu stop the early storm of 18/4 and build 100 run partnership which ended in unlucky runout of shankar than follow by good partnership of rayudu and jadhev which finish at 190/6 than pandya come to bat

 

[Napa]

the whole story

,Shankar and rayudu stop the early storm of 18/4 and build 100 run partnership which ended in unlucky runout of shankar than follow by good partnership of rayudu and jadhev which finish at 190/6 than pandya come to bat

Yes, without Rayudu and Shankar, India would probably have ended with around 150. Without Pandya they would have been around 220. Neither 150, nor 220 would have been defended. I am not saying Pandya did it all by himself, just that his contribution with the bat was very valuable.