All-rounder Hardik Pandya played an outstanding knock in the third and the final ODI against England on Sunday in Pune which India won by 7 runs to clinch the series 2-1. He scored a blazing 44-ball 64 to help India post a total of 329 after the visitors opted to field in the series decider.
Pandya has been contributing promisingly with the bat in recent times. The dynamic all-rounder has 7 half-centuries to his credit in One Day Internationals but yet to score a century. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that Pandya will breach the triple figures in 50-over format if he is promoted up in the batting order.
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While speaking on Star Sports network, the cricketer-turned-commentator was of the opinion that Hardik is playing like a specialist batsman and a ton is not beyond his reach.
“Hardik Pandya seems like a proper batsman to me now, honestly. I don't see him as an all-rounder or finisher at all. If you bat him up the order, he will score a century as well if he gets enough balls. If you see his shots today, nine out of ten times you will see cricketing shots and wherever he tries to hit the ball, he has prepared so well for those shots that his execution is amazingly good,” said Chopra.
The former Indian cricketer said that Pandya applies a specific tactic against seam bowlers and his dismissal puts a major impact on Team India's final score.
{{/usCountry}}The former Indian cricketer said that Pandya applies a specific tactic against seam bowlers and his dismissal puts a major impact on Team India's final score.
{{/usCountry}}“Four wickets had fallen at one time. When KL Rahul got out, it seemed the innings had floundered. The way he batted after that, he has the strength, he updated his batting software when he was injured. He has started playing like a proper batsman,” he said.
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“There is a specific game plan that he will go deep inside the crease against fast bowlers and keep his weight forward despite that, so that he is not off-position while playing the shots. He has been consistently scoring runs, whether it is spin or fast bowling and was actually upset that he got out at the wrong time. If he had kept on playing, 390 was also possible,” concluded Chopra.