Hardik Pandya’s hitting and wrist spinners’ efficiency just what Indian team needed

Ajit Vijaykumar 01:19 19/09/2017
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  • Hardik Pandya has established himself as a quality all-rounder.

    By the time the first ODI in Chennai wrapped up, the Indian team management was grinning from ear to ear. India’s scoreline of victory by 26 runs in the rain-affected match didn’t reveal the margin of difference between the sides.

    Australia’s fast bowlers were brilliant with the new ball, Nathan Coulter-Nile in particular making the most of his sizeable IPL experience and reducing the hosts to 11-3. The sluggish nature of the pitch and overcast conditions played their part, but the Aussies did their bit perfectly. At least until MS Dhoni dropped anchor and guided Kedar Jadhav (40) and the rambunctious Hardik Pandya (83 off 66 balls) to power India’s innings to a more-than-adequate 281 for seven.

    Dhoni is now well and truly the glue that holds the innings together. The lack of experience in India’s middle and lower order has forced the veteran gloveman to adapt his game accordingly and the results there for all to see. In 14 innings in ODIs this year, Dhoni has scored 627 runs at an average of a tick under 90. His average has undoubtedly been boosted by seven unbeaten innings but you can’t ask for more than one century and five fifties in 14 outings.

    What must have truly impressed the Indian team management is the efforts of Pandya and the wrist spinners.

    India’s search for a high-quality seam-bowling all-rounder is all but over following the giant strides made by Pandya the bowler and batsman. Virat Kohli has identified Pandya as the one for the future and entrusted him with greater responsibility with the ball, making him open the bowling and also bowl at the death.

    But it’s with the bat that Pandya has made the bigger impact. His clean hitting on a tough Chepauk wicket on Sunday settled some of the nerves in the dressing room which was desperate to find a quality replacement for the out-of-favour Yuvraj Singh. They can now bank on Pandya’s reliable seamers and resolute batting in all conditions.

    The other major talking point before the start of the series for India was spin bowling. Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja don’t meet the requirements in limited- overs cricket anymore, even if the management doesn’t say it in as many words. But it is clear they want wrist spinners who can take wickets in the middle overs on unresponsive wickets – which will be the case in England during the 2019 World Cup.

    The wicket in Chennai had enough for the slower bowlers but since it was a rain-curtailed game and the spinners had to bowl with new-ish balls throughout the 21-over long innings, the efforts of Yuzvendra Chahal (3-30 off five) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-33 off four) deserve all the credit.

    The only way spinners can survive in limited-overs cricket now, it seems, is by taking wickets and wrist spinners inherently have a greater ability to beat the bat by extracting more out of the surface.

    Chahal (eight wickets in five ODIs in 2017 at an economy of 4.84) and Yadav (13 in eight games at 4.24) have the goods, they just need greater exposure in more trying circumstances.

    India still don’t know what their ideal batting combination is as KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey haven’t yet nailed their spots or positions. But Pandya’s all-round skills and the promise shown by Chahal and Yadav have taken a couple of prickly issues off their table.

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