Hardik Pandya has been nothing less than outstanding with the bat and ball ever since his return to the Indian team following IPL 2022. He has amassed 436 runs in 19 games since making his comeback, doing so at a phenomenal 36.33 apiece and a strike rate of over 150.
In the recently concluded 3-match T20I series between India and Australia, the flamboyant all-rounder was one of the standout performers. He smashed the Australian bowlers with much ease in the first game on September 20 in Mohali, scoring 71* in just 30 balls.
He made sure to bat until the very end of the third game on Sunday, September 25, and in the final over, he scored the winning runs while remaining unbeaten on 25 off 16 balls.
Several former cricketers, not the least of whom was former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, have praised the 28-year-old’s consistent all-round performances.
Afridi observed that although Pakistan has banked on players such as Asif Ali, Khushdi Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, and Shadab Khan to go full throttle in the slog overs, none of them have been as consistent as Hardik Pandya has been for his team.
“You are right. This kind of a finisher (like Pandya) we don't have. We thought Asif Ali, and Khushdil will do the job but they haven't. Nawaz is also not that consistent, and neither is Shadab. Among these four players, at least two need to be consistent. The period in which Shadab bowls is very crucial. The day he does a good job with the ball, Pakistan wins," Afridi said in a show on Samaa TV.
He stated that in order to win the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, which is set to begin on October 16, the Babar Azam-led side must minimize its errors and strengthen its batting and bowling departments.
"In the kind of pitches on which we are playing now, you need two genuine fast bowlers and one all-rounder. The new guy Jamal that we have picked, why don't you play him? Play him as an all-rounder, make him bowl and then ask him to bat. You will get to know what type of cricketer he is. If Pakistan is dreaming to win the World Cup then they need to work a lot on their bowling and batting and minimize the mistakes that they have been committing in the last few matches," he added.
The Men in Green will take on England in the 5th T20I of the 7-match series on Wednesday (September 28) in Lahore.
