Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been stealing a lot of eyeballs in recent times. He is that kind of player who creates havoc for opposition bowlers whenever he is on the crease.

But, despite having an aggressive batting style, Hardik has managed to impress former India skipper Rahul Dravid. ‘The Wall’ got impressed with the youngster because of his temperament and adapting qualities. Despite the fact that Pandya is known for his hard-hitting capabilities, he showed immense maturity in the last ODI in Indore and played a subdued knock.

The current India A coach reckons that Pandya deserves applause for playing according to the demands of the team and the situation. He said, “A good example about Hardik from my perspective is, he’s willing to play situations and not just the natural game we often speak about. Credit goes completely to him. It’s not about playing just the one way you want to play.”

Obviously, Dravid isn’t the only person who is impressed with the all-rounder, but he is particularly impressed with the youngster’s mature approach at the crease. He said, “If he bats at four, he bats in a particular way. If he bats at six, he bats in a particular way. Tomorrow, he may bat at 80 for 4, like he did in the first ODI with Dhoni. That shows maturity and that’s what you want to see.”

He further added, “This concept of ‘play your natural game’, which I hear all the time, frustrates me because there’s no such thing in my belief as ‘natural game.’ It’s only about how you play different situations.”

Dravid also revealed that Pandya demonstrated pretty well that how should a batsman bat differently in different conditions. He said, “You have to learn to bat differently in different conditions, and if you can do that like Hardik is showing at the moment, those would be signs of a developing cricketer, someone who can make consistent contributions and not someone who is a one-off, who can produce brilliance once in a while.”