India vs England | Hope Stokes can motivate Hardik Pandya : Scott Styris

08/07/2018

After India's loss in the first Test in Edgbaston, Scott Styris has said that Hardik Pandya should use Ben Stokes as an inspiration to improve his game. Pandya failed to lay his stamp on the first Test as he scored just 53 runs in two innings and was unable to pick up a single wicket in the match.

When handed the ball in the first innings, Pandya bowled ten overs but returned empty handed while conceding at an economy of 4.6 - which was the highest across both teams. Virat Kohli appeared to have lost confidence in the youngster and did not hand him the ball at all in the second English innings. With the bat, too, Pandya did not provide any fireworks and ended up with 53 runs, 22 in the first innings and 31 in the second, as India lost the first Test of the five match series.

On the opposite side, Ben Stokes played an instrumental role in leading his side to victory with a four-fer in the second innings, including the prized wicket of Virat Kohli. Former New Zealand player Scott Styris, who is working as a commentator in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, felt that Pandya can derive motivation from England all-rounder Ben Stokes and probably alter his game plan to make invaluable contributions in the Indian squad.

“Everybody expects Pandya to win games. He also tries to deliver to those expectations and ends up doing too many things. Currently, I would just like him to make meaningful contributions in every game like the way Stokes did. If he can do small things right, we would see him taking the next step of becoming a match-winner. Throughout the history of the game, we have seen all rounders challenging each other. So I hope Stokes can motivate him,” Styris told TOI.

In the last eight Tests that Pandya has played, he has managed to ensnare seven wickets in total and made 421 runs with an average of 35.08. Styris has stressed that Pandya needs to find the right balance in his game.

“I have seen Pandya from close quarters and I know how good he can be. India has only been scratching the surface of his potential. He can be the next Kapil Dev in this country but right now he is nowhere close to him,” Styris said.

“It's a difficult job to be a frontline bowler and frontline batsman. What happens is that the batting will dominate one season while it might be bowling in the next. It happens to every all rounder. So Pandya has to find the right balance."

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India vs England | Hope Stokes can motivate Hardik Pandya : Scott Styris

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