Hardik Pandya labelled as ‘one in a billion’ as ex-IND star backs him after 2nd T20I struggle: 'You don't have anyone…'
Hardik Pandya scored an unbeaten 39 runs off 45 balls and came under the scanners for playing too many dot balls in the death overs.
Hardik Pandya was criticized for his sluggish knock against South Africa in the 2nd T20I. The star all-rounder, known for his explosive batting, struggled to get going on a tricky batting track in Gqeberha. He scored an unbeaten 39 runs off 45 balls and came under the scanners for playing too many dot balls in the death overs as he didn't take a single on numerous occasions. With Arshdeep Singh on the other end, Hardik decided to take the onus on himself, but he failed to hit boundaries on will and played 10 dot balls in the last three overs, including four in the last.
However, Chopra came in his support, and the conditions were not the best for batting when he came out in the middle.
"When he came to bat, the conditions were slightly difficult, the bounce was slightly up and down, and the pace was also not consistent. It seemed like he was getting slightly stuck against spin but he has got the ability to take the game till the end," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The former cricketer turned commentator admitted that Pandya made a mistake by not giving a strike to Arshdeep, who had hit a six in the six balls he faced.
"However, I have an opinion that he should have taken singles in the end. He played many dot balls. You should have taken singles till Arshdeep was there. After that, it's okay if you didn't. Arshdeep even hit a six," Chopra observed.
'You don't have anyone else like Hardik'
Meanwhile, the former Indian opener further called Hardik a one-in-a-billion player and talked about India's recent desperate attempts to find another fast-bowling all-rounder.
"Honestly speaking and there is no recency bias in that, he is one in a billion. I am saying that because you don't have anyone else like Hardik. You are consistently trying. You are searching for different things. You played Shivam Dube. You got Venkatesh Iyer to bowl," he said.
Recently, India handed a debut to Nitish Kumar Reddy in the Bangladesh series, where he managed to impress with both bat and ball. While on the ongoing South Africa tour, India decided to fastrack Ramandeep Singh in the scheme of things.
"You got Nitish Kumar Reddy to bowl and bat. You played him up the order and now you are drafting Ramandeep Singh into the team, and all of them are getting fast-tracked. You feel you should try everyone because no one has the skillset he has, a fast-bowling all-rounder," he observed.
The four-match series is currently levelled at 1-1 as India won the first T20I in Durban by 61 runs. The third game will be played in Centurion on Wednesday.
