Ian Chappell : Hardik Pandya can profit from watching Ben Stokes' efforts with the ball
Ian Chappell has urged Hardik Pandya to pay attention to Ben Stokes' technique over the course of the five-match Test series in England as it would help him in improving his game. He also added that the efforts from both teams’ slip-fielders needed to improve considerably in the Lord's Test.
Pandya has been touted as India’s ideal all-rounder for a while now and has been in skipper Virat Kohli’s good books for a good two years. Pandya has scored a total of 243 runs from five Test matches, at an average of 27, in 2018 which included a 93 against South Africa earlier this year. In the recently concluded Test against England, the all-rounder was able to score just 22 and 31 in two innings. Even his performances with the ball have been below par in the longest format of the game.
Former Australian batsman, Ian Chappell, opined that Pandya would benefit from watching his counterpart Ben Stokes’ efforts with the ball in the ongoing series. Stokes’ was brilliant for England as he picked up six wickets which also included the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli on Day four that turned the game on its head.
"India's search for a seam-bowling allrounder is still a work in progress but Hardik Pandya displayed determination and discipline to go with his undoubted skills in an important partnership with Kohli.
"Perhaps a move to No. 6 would further bolster his batting confidence and if he can also profit from watching Stokes' efforts with the ball, this could be a defining series for the talented all-rounder," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.
Another major talking point from the match was the efforts of the slip fielders on both sides. Both England and India dropped as many as eight catches combined in the first two innings itself. The Australian cited that the fielding efforts from both teams in the slip-region was well below par and expected them to work on that ahead of the second Test at Lord’s.
"Both England and India were sloppy in the slips, with a combination of poor technique and faulty alignment being to blame for the shoddy work. One reason for both sides dropping catches is that the fielders are standing too close to each other, thereby causing confusion," Chappell, a fantastic slip fielder during his playing days, observed.
While fans were expecting to see James Anderson fire in the first Test, it was Sam Curran who stole the show. The youngster exhibited some old school swing bowling claiming five wickets in the match. Chappell was all praise for 20-year old, Sam Curran, who was also adjudged Man of the Match after his all-round performance in England’s historic 1000th Test match.
"Part of England's success with the ball can be attributed to the increased variety in their attack. The addition of Sam Curran's vibrant left-arm swing and Stokes' rejuvenation with the ball made a huge difference to an attack that lacked variety in Australia," Chappell added.
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