Hardik Pandya is a game-changer: MS Dhoni
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has heaped praise on Hardik Pandya after the Gujarat born cricketer produced an all-round performance in India's opening Asia Cup game against Bangladesh. Dhoni stressed on the importance of the balance he renders to the side in shortest format of the game.
âGood to see him bowl four overs. It will give us a lot of strength â three fast bowlers and two proper spinners. You donât need to change your team as every base is covered.
âPeople may feel that having seven proper batsmen is a luxury but whatâs the harm, if we have someone like him (Hardik).
âIf he gets going, he gets you those 15 runs extra. If 160 is par-score, he can give you 165-175. It is good for bowlers. We wanted somebody like him. He is a game-changer,â Dhoni said at the
When Pandya walked into the middle, India
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Dhoni said that Pandya knows his role in the batting lineup and does not require specific instructions while coming on to bat. He said, âWe donât need to tell Hardik anything. He knows only one thing - that is to hit the ball, thatâs what he does. He is someone who likes to clear the boundary.
âThe more games he will play, better he will get. But
Indian skipper highlighted the importance of all-rounders like Pandya in T20
âTo a lot of
âBut I wonât like to comment on T20 performances as it is entirely different from 50 overs. In T20, you can get away in the four overs, but in ODI, you will bowl for five overs, then come back for a second and third spell, it will be completely different scenario but he is definitely somebody, who has the talent and can do the job for us,â he added.