Despite the fact that Hardik Pandya has played very few matches at the international level, he has been successful in making a name for himself. His record in limited-overs cricket has been pretty impressive with both the bat and the ball.
After 32 ODIs, Pandya has a strike rate of 118.73 with the bat and his wicket-taking ability is an added bonus for skipper Virat Kohli, as he has already registered 35 wickets in ODIs at an average of 35.48.
But, in spite of his all-around performance, there were doubts whether Pandya is fit to be a part of the Test squad. He silenced his critics when he scored a century and a fifty against Sri Lanka in away matches in August last year.
After his performance in Sri Lanka, Hardik received a call for the all-important South Africa series. Speaking to Times of India in an interview, former South African all-rounder, Lance Klusener said, “An allrounder of the quality of Pandya gives India the edge both with the bat and ball. He is an exciting talent who provides balance to the Indian unit. Pandya -a medium-pacer who comes to bat lower down the order – provides skipper Virat Kohli with a lot of options with team combination.”
In an advice to the youngster, the former cricketer said, “I expect the South African bowlers to use the short ball against him. But if he survives those initial moments and gets his eye in, then Pandya could be lethal.”
Klusener further elaborated that the Indian skipper Virat Kohli has to score runs to take India to victory. He said, “If India aims to win this series then Kohli will have to score. He would be tested and it gives our bowlers a chance to know how good they are when they bowl to one of the best batters in the world currently.”
The flamboyant all-rounder also added that South Africa’s bowling department will give them a slight edge in the series over the visitors, he said, “Both India and South Africa have full strength sides to choose from. There is little to separate the two teams but I reckon South Africa will enjoy a slight edge in the pace bowling department as the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander are well-versed with the conditions. On the other hand, India have a well-rounded attack with terrific spin bowling options such as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to choose from.”
The first Test between India and South Africa will start from 5th January 2018, Friday.
