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Hardik Pandya the new MS Dhoni?

Ab Fan said:
He has been amazing since I started supporting him, which was when he was at his lowest during the Sri Lanka away series last year.
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Does pandya play domestic red ball cricket ? For Mumbai?
 
Pandya with such bowling makes it to the team but not without his bowling.
 
JaDed said:
Pandya with such bowling makes it to the team but not without his bowling.
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He is a better batsman than Jadeja everywhere and a better bowler than Jadeja as well overseas. Only in fielding Jadeja is better. Now because he is a seam bowler, his fitness needs to be managed well just like they manage for Bumrah and Shami.
 
The flavours of the month they may be, but Pandya and Pant together don’t make up for Dhonis impact as a cricketer and as a captain for India.

Dhoni was a champion and GOAT player. Stats don’t show the impact he had as a leader. No one else in history won across formats and conditions close to how he did.

Pandya will never be able to match him as a finisher.
 
Hardik Pandya struck gold in his debut season as captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, he then led India to a 2-0 series win against Ireland, and now on Sunday in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, he led India to a thumping 88-run win on the back of a superb performance by their spinners in Lauderhill, Florida on to complete a 4-1 series win.

In the post-match presentation, Hardik, who led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in the side’s and his debut season earlier this year, admits that he is open to the full-time captaincy role.

“Yeah, why not? “If given a chance, I’ll be more than happy to do it. But for now, we have a World Cup coming, it’s about getting better as a team,” said the 28-year-old.

A few months back, not many had backed him as a captain, there was even some mocking, but he led Gujarat Titans with skill, passion, and a cool head.

In a media interaction ahead of the IPL auction in February, Pandya had spoken about how he wants to create his own legacy on his own terms at a new franchise.

“From Virat, I will pick his aggression and passion, his energy which is tremendous to be honest. From Mahi bhai I will pick the composure, the calmness, remaining the same in every situation, and trying to see what new things one can add. From Rohit, I would pick that he lets the player decide what he wants to do,” Pandya had said then.

It sounded too cliched and too much of a stretch coming from someone who, by his own admission, had led only at Under-16 level. But captaining the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season, leading India to a 2-0 T20I series win against Ireland in June, and now stepping up for Rohit Sharma against West Indies is no joke.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...ya-opens-to-full-time-captaincy-role-8077701/
 
Hardi Pandya has good game awarness. He told in the match winning ceremony that he knew that there was a guy debuting and a spinner with an over left, thus he planned his innings accordingly.
 
Major said:
Hardi Pandya has good game awarness. He told in the match winning ceremony that he knew that there was a guy debuting and a spinner with an over left, thus he planned his innings accordingly.
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That would literally be basics in cricket.. you are overestimating his awareness.
 
JaDed said:
That would literally be basics in cricket.. you are overestimating his awareness.
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you would be surprised how many times players miss out on the basics. I have seen Babar throw his wicket to Rashid Khan on a final delivery.

But than again, in hindsight everyone becomes an expert, had nawaz bowled well, Pandya would had been bashed for being over confident.
 
Major said:
you would be surprised how many times players miss out on the basics. I have seen Babar throw his wicket to Rashid Khan on a final delivery.

But than again, in hindsight everyone becomes an expert, had nawaz bowled well, Pandya would had been bashed for being over confident.
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Yeah and you will see how he performs in other games now that he was MOM and talking about his “strategy”.
I have seen this from him in India- England test series few years ago.
 
Hardik had several ugly swipes and misses in the 17th over. If Naseem was fit, this game was certainly a Pakistan win.
 
Jaddu never gets the credit lol. He stayed there for a long time, built a partnership and hit an important six on Naseem's bowling and that was the turning point of this game. :inti
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Jaddu never gets the credit lol. He stayed there for a long time, built a partnership and hit an important six on Naseem's bowling and that was the turning point of this game. :inti
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Jadeja wasted a lot of deliveries. Naseem's injury was the reason he hit that six.
 
RexRex said:
Jadeja wasted a lot of deliveries. Naseem's injury was the reason he hit that six.
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Rohit 12(18) played in the powerplay
Kohli 35(34) played in the powerplay
Surya (18)

But yeah Jaddu who scored 35(29) wasted deliveries. :91:

As I said earlier, he never gets the credit. He was playing with a strike rate of 175 but Sky started tuk tuking in the middle instead. At least watch the match first. :inti
 
Another egg in the face moment for some who doubted Pandya and wanted him out of the side.

Not only did he bounced Pak batsman out but kept his calm and chased down the target.

Ben Stokes Who?

:P
 
FbRQcDmWYAcxzOS
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
As I said earlier, he never gets the credit. He was playing with a strike rate of 175 but Sky started tuk tuking in the middle instead. At least watch the match first. :inti
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I watched it and I didn't like what I saw. Jadeja's role is to slog a boundary every over. Thankfully for India this was a sub-par total from Pakistan so they lumbered to victory.
 
Amazing clutch innings by him. But what has impressed me the most is the pace at which he was bowling.

Don't want to take a dig at anyone but folks who regularly target IPL when we fail would be hesitant to give credit to the league who made Pandya the player he is today.
 
RexRex said:
I watched it and I didn't like what I saw. Jadeja's role is to slog a boundary every over. Thankfully for India this was a sub-par total from Pakistan so they lumbered to victory.
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What was Sky's role then? I didn't like what I saw from Sky today. Jaddu also played a key role in this win. :inti
 
The best finisher India produced since MS Dhoni.

1.A clutch match winning knock vs Australia in 2020
2. A clutch match winning and match changing performance vs Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022
3. A clutch match winning performance vs Bangladesh with the bowl in the game where Bangladesh started celebrating before the game was over few years ago.

Undoubtedly high class all rounder.
 
Jadeja played a good knock yesterday but the very fact that this is arguably his best knock in his 10 year T20 career tells us how bad a T20 player he has been for so long. :inti
 
Love this guys confidence... Misses a ball in last over, 6 runs needed in 3 balls and points to Rohit, Relax.. I got it. Then, Pulls it Off.
 
Even a peak Dhoni couldn't have done what Hardik did yesterday. Dhoni in any case has always been crap in T20s.
 
The mental edge we had over Pakistan over a number of tears was because of fearsome hitters like sehwag, yuvraj and peak dhoni. Need a couple more of those.
 
More like Michael Bevan the finisher. This guy will be one of best allrounder in the history.
 
Stop overhyping.
He finally own one big match in his career, failed all t20 and Odi wc's he played.

Let him score.
 
Pandya v1.0 was a good bowler and his batting although destructive was also very impulsive. Thats why he did not finish many games he could easily have won with his bat.

After his captaincy stint where he lead his team to IPL cup victory his batting has become calculative and he asesses the game situation and plays according to it and his batting is now lot less risky than Panday v1.0.
For opposition team thats not good news
 
Have always rated Pandya but people tend to remember only the last couple of years of dhoni career
 
Hardik Pandya: Would have fancied my chances even if we needed 15 off final over :91:

Pandya had a dream game, first scalping three wickets for 25 in his four overs and then finished the match unbeaten with a six off Mohammed Nawaz, having scored 33 invaluable runs off 17 balls.

Hardik Pandya was planning one over at a time and would have “fancied” his chances even if India needed 15 runs rather than the seven that it scored in the final over to win its Asia Cup opener against Pakistan.

Pandya had a dream game, first scalping three wickets for 25 in his four overs and then finished the match unbeaten with a six off Mohammed Nawaz, having scored 33 invaluable runs off 17 balls.

India defeated Pakistan by five wickets on Sunday to go to the top of its group, that also includes Hong Kong.

“In a chase like this, you always plan over-by-over. I always knew that there is one young bowler (Naseem Shah or Shahnawaz Dahani) and also one left-arm spinner (Nawaz),” Pandya said after the match.

“We only needed seven off the last over but even if we needed 15, I’d have fancied myself. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me in the 20th over. I try to keep things simple,” said India’s No. 1 all-rounder.

As far as bowling is concerned, Pandya knew that he needed to mix short balls and induce batters into making mistakes.

“In bowling, it’s important to assess the situations and use your weapons. For me, bowling short and the hard lengths have been my strengths. It’s about using them well and asking the right questions to make the batters commit a mistake,” he said.

India will play Hong Kong on Wednesday.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cric...-highlights-results-score/article65825331.ece
 
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam praises Hardik Pandya after defeat against India

Dubai : After suffering a defeat by five wickets against arch-rivals India in Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam heaped praise on the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who took Men in Blue to a thrilling victory.

The crucial partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya helped India defeat arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling clash by five wickets in the second match of the Asia Cup 2022 here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. "He did very well in bowling and in batting as he finished off the game was great. According to me, he is a very good all-rounder," said Babar Azam said in a post-match press conference.

Jadeja smash 35 while Pandya hammered 33 in 17 balls. For Pakistan, Mohammad Nawaz bagged three and Naseem Shah scalped two wickets.

"Our only game plan was to take the game as deep as possible. Naseem Shah bowled very well and took crucial wickets for the team. Unfortunately, we couldn't finish but I think Nawaz should be given credit for performing well in the pressure game. The shortfall remained with our partnership. The toss doesn't matter, the team's efforts matter. And my team performed very well. It was a big match for Naseem Shah but still, he did very well. It was his confidence, the way he has shown his advance," he added.

Chasing 148 runs, India got off to a bad start as they lost their opener, KL Rahul, without even scoring a run. Rahul's wicket brought Virat Kohli out on the crease, who played his 100th T20I on Sunday.

With one wicket loss, the Indian experienced duo of Rohit Sharma and Kohli played with caution but kept smashing the boundaries to keep the scoreboard running.

Virat Kohli was in red-hot form as he kept smashing boundaries to keep India in a hunt of the run chase. Rohit also opened his hand but his stint was cut short as he was dismissed by Mohammad Nawaz after scoring 12 runs. Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja then came to bat on the crease.

Nawaz struck again in the same over as he cut short Kohli's blistering form sending his back to the pavilion after scoring 35 runs in 34 deliveries.

At that point, Kohli's wicket put India under pressure, but that was instantly eased by Jadeja who smashed Nawaz for a six. After 10 over India's score read 62/3.

Suryakumar Yadav then joined Jadeja in smashing Pakistan bowlers all around the ground. Both batters played some big shots with grit to keep India's run chase hunt alive.

Pakistan made a stunning comeback in the match as their bowler Naseem Shah bowled out Suryakumar Yadav after scoring 18 runs in 18 balls. All-rounder Hardik Pandya came to the crease to join hands with Jadeja.

In the 18th over equation for the win went down to 32 runs needed in 18 balls. Jadeja smashed a four and a six in the 18th over of the innings.

In the 19th over Pandya smashed three boundaries and took India to near the win as they needed seven runs in six balls. In the last over Nawaz gave a big blow to the Indian team as he dismissed Jadeja after scoring 35 runs in 29 balls.

Dinesh Karthik then came to bat. Pandya then smashed a huge six on the fourth delivery of the last ball and took his team home by five wickets against Pakistan.

Earlier, fiery and tight bowling spells by Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped India bundle out arch-rival Pakistan for 147 in a blockbuster clash in the second match of the Asia Cup 2022 here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan smashed 43 runs while Iftikhar Ahmed scored 28. For India Hardik Pandya bagged three while Bhuvneshwar Kumar scalped four and Arshdeep Singh took two wickets.

Opting to field first, India got off to a decent start as their star bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave his team a big breakthrough as he dismissed Pakistab captain Babar Azam after scoring 10 runs on 9 deliveries in the third over of the innings.

India bowled 15 dot balls in the first 4 overs itself, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh produced a marvellous bowling display.

After the captain's wicket, Mohammad Rizwan played some bold and aggressive shots to keep the scoreboard running. Fakhar Zaman then came to bat on the crease to join hands with the opener.

Avesh Khan provided India with another breakthrough as he sent Zaman back to the pavilion to give his team an upper hand. Khan got the wicket after conceding a couple of boundaries to Rizwan. Iftikhar Ahmed then joined the opener Rizwan on the crease.

The duo of Rizwan and Ahmed went on to take their team's total beyond the 50-run mark. It was a good first half for Indian bowlers as they restricted Pakistan to 68/2 after 10 overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal's dropped the catch of Iftikhar Ahmed which doesn't prove costly, with Hardik Pandya dismissing the batter in the next over for 28 - Pakistan 87 for 3 in 12.1 overs.

Pandya struck twice in the 15th over of the innings and gave Pakistan big blows as he dismissed Rizwan for 43 in 42 balls and new batter Khushdil Shah (2).

In the 17th over of the innings, Bhuvneshwar gave Pakistan team a big blow as he sent packing Asif Ali on a brilliant bowl which was caught by Suryakumar Yadav.

India did not give Pakistan a chance to balance itself after back-to-back blows. Arshdeep Singh struck against in the 18th over and dismissed Mohammad Nawaz who could only manage to score one run.

In the 19th over, Pakistan's Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan opened their hands to smash big hits, but their hammering was cut short by Bhuvneshwar LBW out Shadab Khan after scoring 10 runs.

In the same over Bhuvneshwar struck again, dismissing Naseem Shah scoring just zero runs.

In the last, over of the innings, Arshdeep ended Pakistan's inning as he helped India bundle out Men in Green for 147.

Brief score: Pakistan 147 (Mohammad Rizwan 43, Iftikhar Ahmed 28; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4-26) vs India 148/5 (Ravindra Jadeja 35, Hardik Pandya 33*; Mohammad Nawaz 3-33).



https://timesofoman.com/article/120...ises-hardik-pandya-after-defeat-against-india
 
STAT: Hardik Pandya vs Pak in T20Is:-

3/8 Mirpur 2016
1/25 Kolkata 2016
3/25 Dubai 2022
1/44 Dubai 2022
3/30 Melbourne 2022

Best all rounder in the world for a reason, delivers in big games. :inti
 
ezhil said:
Pandya is greater than sobers and imran combined
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We are talking T20 here. Sobers and Imran Khan did not play any T20 matches. Sobers in fact did not get to play much ODI also (just one ODI where he failed).
 
Pandya played well considering the situation.
He need to work on short pitch balls, he almost lost the match.
 
Misbah on Pandya:

“Hardik Pandya ko agar aap dekhe, pehli dafa usne shayad captaincy ki hai, IPL main, and the way he led the team. Unhone IPL jeeti hai. Usse andaza hota hai ki how he handled the pressure. Especially uska bhi jo role hai team main as a finisher. And finisher aap team main tabhi ho sakte hai jab aap mentally strong ho and ek self belief ho. And woh read kar rahe the ki kis tarike se le ke jaa sakte hai,"

Waqar quickly interrupted saying, “I won't be surprised if he is the next Indian captain.”

Akram then jumped in hailing the India all-rounder. “Pehle woh IPL main captain bana, waha jeeta. Abhi woh team main ek main force hai, woh captain ko advice deta hai, ek calm influence hai, and he is learning. Ekdum se agar deep end main daal do toh usko samjh hi nehi ayegi,”
 
He is nowhere near peak MS Dhoni when it comes to finishing matches. He is playing like MS Dhoni was playing in his last couple of years in International Cricket. He is being praised for 40(37) here and how he played a supporting role but Dhoni used to be criticised for the same type of innings.

Kohli too was relying on Pandya for his big hitting later in the inning but little did he know that Pandya was in the mood to take a bullet for him instead of finishing the match. He is still a good package to have in your team. :inti
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
He is nowhere near peak MS Dhoni when it comes to finishing matches. He is playing like MS Dhoni was playing in his last couple of years in International Cricket. He is being praised for 40(37) here and how he played a supporting role but Dhoni used to be criticised for the same type of innings.

Kohli too was relying on Pandya for his big hitting later in the inning but little did he know that Pandya was in the mood to take a bullet for him instead of finishing the match. He is still a good package to have in your team. :inti
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Yes with 3 wickets with the bowl, he did his job inspite of an ordinary inning with bat(Dhoniesque inning).
 
Ab Fan said:
Yes with 3 wickets with the bowl, he did his job inspite of an ordinary inning with bat(Dhoniesque inning).
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Dhoni is a tuk tuk master how takes deep. But when it comes to last over he is a completely different animal. Not many match his effectiviness. Especially when he was in form.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Dhoni is a tuk tuk master how takes deep. But when it comes to last over he is a completely different animal. Not many match his effectiviness. Especially when he was in form.
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Yes that's true and a last ball six is like almost a guarantee. :91:
 
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former India cricketer and ex-chairman of the senior men’s selection committee, said if he was the current chief selector, he would appoint Hardik Pandya as the captain of the side till the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup and would get down to rebuilding the side from the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand.

In the recently-concluded T20 World Cup in Australia, India entered the semifinals of the tournament by becoming table-toppers from Group 2, winning four out of their five matches.

But their quest of ending a nine-year wait for a World Cup trophy came to an abrupt halt with a crushing 10-wicket loss to eventual champions England in the semifinal at the Adelaide Oval, which led to India being criticised heavily for playing an outdated version of T20 cricket.

Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to winning IPL 2022, will be filling in as captain for Rohit Sharma in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand starting from Friday in Wellington. The series will also mark the start of India’s road to the next edition of T20 World Cup in 2024, which will be jointly hosted by West Indies and USA.

“See if I was the Chairman of the selection committee, I would say that Hardik Pandya should be the captain of the 2024 World Cup, straight away, I’d put it that way – number one. And start rebuilding a side right from today, that is from the New Zealand series which is going to happen in a week’s time.”

“You start from today, the preparation for the World cup, you need to understand, starts 2 years in advance. So, you do whatever you want to do, the trial and error policy, do whatever you want, try it for one year, then you form a team and by 2023 make sure this is going to be at the level that is going to play the World Cup,” said Srikkanth on ‘Match Point’ show on Star Sports.

Srikkanth also called for India to identify all-rounders like Deepak Hooda who could play varied roles in the T20 World Cup. “You need more fast-ball all-rounders. Let’s see, 1983 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, why did we win? We had many fast-ball all-rounders and semi all-rounders. So, to identify these guys — guys like Hooda, like Hooda, there are going to be so many more Hoodas.”

Former India left-arm pacer and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Irfan Pathan feels that the side needs to create a couple of leaders in case Pandya gets injured and may not captain the T20 team. In the T20Is against New Zealand, Rishabh Pant will be serving as Pandya’s deputy.

“So, I’m not saying that if you change the captain you change the result, if you go like that you’re not going to change the result. And with Hardik Pandya, you need to understand, we all need to understand, that he’s a fast bowling all-rounder. He has injury issues as well.”

“What if he is your captain who is getting injured right before the World cup? And if you don’t have any other leader ready, you’ll be in a mess. So, what I personally think is that Hardik Pandya is a leader, who has done very well in the Gujarat Titians, won IPL, won the championship trophy.

“You need to find not one, but two leaders going forward to build their mark. You know just like we talk about openers – we need to have a group of openers, we also need to have a group of leaders.”

Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop highlighted that with the amount of talent available in India, selectors need to be making the right choices while selecting the right players in Indian T20I team in future. “That has always been what selection has always been about, if it was that simple of choosing the guys who are on top of the statistics, you wouldn’t need a selector.

“Anyone can go and make a base and make a team, but you have to see beyond the numbers, who is playing what bowling well in what conditions, who is playing the hard games. So, that’s where the real selector earns his money.”

“Look, I still think that there’s a kid called Mohsin Khan who plays in the IPL. And that’s another one that I can recall as well, there are several highly talented players who are still in the nation. I think the talent is there to win the World Cup, it’s just a matter of picking the right people at the right time, there’s just too much talent available.”

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...t20i-captain-krishnamachari-srikkanth-1052752
 
Pandya has done his job in World T20 this year. Now he should look to focus on 2023 ODI World Cup. To win a tournament, the all rounders play the biggest role and we saw that in this tournament too with Shadab, Curran and Stokes.

He should look to take his ODI average to 40 at strike rate of 110 and become a Jos Buttler level ODI batsman.
 
Ab Fan said:
Pandya has done his job in World T20 this year. Now he should look to focus on 2023 ODI World Cup. To win a tournament, the all rounders play the biggest role and we saw that in this tournament too with Shadab, Curran and Stokes.

He should look to take his ODI average to 40 at strike rate of 110 and become a Jos Buttler level ODI batsman.
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He should play as the 6th bowling option and the finisher role.
 
One dayers will be a test for his fitness given that he will have to bowl more overs. May have to be on the field for longer period.
 
Phenomenal cricketer. India are incredibly lucky to have him. There is no doubt that he will be the next LOI captain.
 
He is a brutal hitter of the ball. That six of that full Blooded Chris Jordan yorker in the blockhole was a thing of beauty where he hit it to the longest part of the Adellaide ground.
 
What a player! It is unbelieveable the way he has improved not only as a batter but also as a bowler and the leader. He must work extremely hard to continue performing for India as an all rounder. Future captain of India, but please don't play him in IPL if you seriously care about your international cricket team. He has earned enough money from IPL already. or play him there just as a batsman.
 
Caved12 said:
What a player! It is unbelieveable the way he has improved not only as a batter but also as a bowler and the leader. He must work extremely hard to continue performing for India as an all rounder. Future captain of India, but please don't play him in IPL if you seriously care about your international cricket team. He has earned enough money from IPL already. or play him there just as a batsman.
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GT is revolving around him. Now that they have won the IPL he is going nowhere. He will get injured. He has to make the most of it until his next injury strikes
 
jnaveen1980 said:
GT is revolving around him. Now that they have won the IPL he is going nowhere. He will get injured. He has to make the most of it until his next injury strikes
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BCCI and senior players need to have a meeting with him where they must make him realize how important he is for team India. Nothing wrong if he plays for IPL as a batsman only and every second year. Hardik has a computer in his brain that calculates everything about the pitch, strength of opposition players, and outfield in seconds before the start of the match, and then he has the ability to execute all those plans with perfection. I never rated him as a bowler and after his injury, I thought he was completely done as a bowler, but he came back as an improved bowler and a batsman.
 
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Caved12 said:
BCCI and senior players need to have a meeting with him where they must make him realize how important he is for team India. Nothing wrong if he plays for IPL as a batsman only and every second year. Hardik has a computer in his brain that calculates everything about the pitch, strength of opposition players, and outfield in seconds before the start of the match, and then he has the ability to execute all those plans with perfection. I never rated him as a bowler and after his injury, I thought he was completely done as a bowler, but he came back as an improved bowler and a batsman.
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Turned out to be India's fastest bowler. Not that hard to beat Bhuvi and co lol But still 145 is decentish speed for a 2nd change bowler
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Turned out to be India's fastest bowler. Not that hard to beat Bhuvi and co lol But still 145 is decentish speed for a 2nd change bowler
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145 kph is 145 kph. Indian pace bowlers have no trouble bowling 140 or above. They just choose to focus more on their line, length and swing which obviously makes them lose a bit of pace. From your new bowlers, I really like Harshdeep and Umran Malik and wish Bumrah a speedy recovery.
 
Caved12 said:
145 kph is 145 kph. Indian pace bowlers have no trouble bowling 140 or above. They just choose to focus more on their line, length and swing which obviously makes them lose a bit of pace. From your new bowlers, I really like Harshdeep and Umran Malik and wish Bumrah a speedy recovery.
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Sorry Arshdeep Singh.
 
"Not Just Tactically Sound, He Is...": VVS Laxman On Hardik Pandya As Captain

With a short turnaround period between the T20 World Cup and the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand, the Indian think-tank gave head coach Rahul Dravid a break, and in place, it would be VVS Laxman who would be overseeing the proceedings. Hardik Pandya would lead Team India in the T20I series while Shikhar Dhawan would captain in ODIs with Laxman acting as the coach. On the eve of the first T20I in Wellington, Laxman addressed a press conference, where he spoke about the preparations and the challenges that lie ahead.

"It has been an enjoyable ride for me so far, when I joined NCA, it was all about contributing to Indian cricket and this is an opportunity to spend time and share my knowledge with the youngsters, it has been fulfilling. What straightaway struck me in Ireland was that these youngsters are very talented, but at the same time, they always want to learn and grow as cricketers and that for me is very exciting," said Laxman.

"There is definitely a lot of cricket being played. There is no doubt about that and that is where Indian cricket is very fortunate where we have so many players to choose from. As team management, and selection committee, you need to be very mindful of when to give certain players a break. Breaks are important for players to not only get physically rejuvenated but also mentally. India is lucky to have that kind of pool of players from whom you can choose. I think in white-ball cricket, you require specialists players, I think that going forward, T20 will see a lot of T20 specialists but managing their workload and at the same time, choosing from the pool we have, is a blessing Indian cricket has," he added.

India were knocked out of the T20 World Cup after the Rohit Sharma-led side faced a defeat against England in the semi-final. This meant that the wait for an ICC title continues as the Men in Blue last won the Champions Trophy in 2013 under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

"I think T20 cricket requires playing with a lot of freedom and clarity of thought. And how much time I have spent with these guys and watching them grow over the years into wonderful international cricketers, I think that is their strength. In T20 cricket, you are required to play with a fearless attitude but at the same time, it is important to assess the conditions and situations and fulfill the needs of the team," said Laxman.

"It is important to be flexible. I think in T20 cricket, you are required to express yourself and that is when you will be successful. I think T20 cricket has shown us over the years that the more amount of multi-dimensional players you have, the better for the team. You have bowlers who can bat, and batters who can bowl, and that is the way forward. That has already been proven in T20 cricket, the more number of bowlers who can bat will add depth to the team and it allows a lot of freedom for the batters to express themselves. That is the need for the format and I am sure more and more teams will try to get that into their selection process and identify players who are multi-dimensional players," he further added.

Talking about Hardik as captain, Laxman said: "He is a fabulous leader. We have seen what he has done with Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Taking leadership in the first year of the franchise in the tournament, and winning the league is not a mean achievement. I have spent a lot of time with him since the Ireland series, he is just not only tactically sound, but he is very calm on the field and that is something which is very important at the highest level."

"There would be situations when you would be under pressure and that is when you are required to be calm as a leader. Also, his presence in the dressing room, and his work ethics are exemplary. The way he leads the side both on and off the field is fabulous. I think he is a players' captain, he is very approachable. All the players go up to him and confide with him. I think that is something which I really like about Hardik, and he leads by example both on and off the field," he added.

NDTV
 
Salman Butt on Pandya captaincy:

"I don't know who is seeing him as captain and who is watching such dreams. He has talent and has tasted success in the IPL. But even Rohit Sharma has been successful five to six times in the IPL. If he had scored well in a couple of matches (in the T20 World Cup 2022), people wouldn't have been talking about making this change at the top”.

"In the Asian subcontinent, people start talking about such drastic and big changes rather soon. Not all of them, but quite a few, who probably don't understand how these things work. Sometimes, just for the sake of giving an opinion, people say, 'change the captain'"

"Only one captain has won the World Cup, the rest of the teams have lost. Will you change the captains of all 11 teams because they lost the World Cup?"
 
Dhoni lost a lot of matches for India past 2011-2012. Pandya failed in every match of the world cup bar the semi final. So he is on the right path to be the next Dhoni.

Have to say, his bowling has been better recently.
 
Mobashir said:
Dhoni lost a lot of matches for India past 2011-2012. Pandya failed in every match of the world cup bar the semi final. So he is on the right path to be the next Dhoni.

Have to say, his bowling has been better recently.
Click to expand...

You are the life of the party brother. Absolute blast. More power to you.
 
pandya is indias most impactful player, and seems to stay cool under pressure, good traits for a captain. he's also a guaranteed starter for the next 3 or 4 years. seems like a no brainer.

nice to see salman butt not making any sense as usual.
 
Pandya has really established himself as a formidable LOI cricketer this year. I guess for folks who used to troll or raised questions against them, they have silenced them for once and all. He needs to continue performing and replicate the same in 2023 World Cup before his critics again start singing the same music back. :inti
 
Ab Fan said:
Pandya has really established himself as a formidable LOI cricketer this year. I guess for folks who used to troll or raised questions against them, they have silenced them for once and all. He needs to continue performing and replicate the same in 2023 World Cup before his critics again start singing the same music back. :inti
Click to expand...
This is the problem.
He had a complete failure of a word cup with the bar this semi final innings.
 
Pandya is a true X-factor, box-office player. Seeing him play 20 balls on a good day would pay back your match ticket.
 
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