ICC World Cup 2019 | Hardik Pandya is a good all-rounder and a valuable asset to Indian team, asserts Varun Aaron
Varun Aaron has stated that Hardik Pandya is a great all-rounder and his ability to cover up failure in one department with another makes him a valuable asset for India. The pacer has also added that MS Dhoni’s experience is always invaluable and his game-reading ability will help India big-time.
Hardik Pandya is an interesting commodity for India - always valuable but often belittled by public perception. A new-age cricketer, who believes in impact more than consistency, it is no doubt that he has the full backing of skipper Virat Kohli and the team management. While he is a good enough bowler to carry on the role of the third pacer with elan, his power-hitting in the big run chases and at death in the first innings made India believe that there was insurance at the time of emergency.
The recently-concluded Indian Premier League was a testament to his ever-growing reputation as the Mumbai Indians all-rounder scored 402 runs at an average of 44.66 and an insane strike rate of 191.42. This gave him a great box-office appeal and made Indian cricket fans happy about the fact that they have an in-form power-hitter to give them the extra edge that the conditions in England demand.
“I really think Hardik is a good bowler,” Aaron told SportsCafe in an exclusive interview. “He’s got a Test five-wicket haul which is a testament to him being a good bowler and I just feel he’ll be really good for the Indian team in the ODI format and in T20 cricket. It’s just about him ticking on a certain day, I mean, if he doesn’t do well with the ball he makes up with the bat. You’ll always want him in your team.”
India are going into the World Cup as the second-best team in the World and the core players being in the team for at least three years. While the batting has always been India’s strongest suit, perhaps for the first time in the history of the World Cups, India are having a better bowling attack at their disposal with Jasprit Bumrah earning the best bowler in the world title.
Most importantly, the team has a very good combination of raw pace, swing, and death specialist which makes not only the favourite to win the cup, it has also given them a sense of comfort in the unforgiving English conditions. Aaron believes that the team is very balanced and can certainly go on to win the World Cup.
“I feel it’s a very, very balanced team because you’ve got bowlers of all facets - guys who bowl at the death, guys who can bowl up front, guys who can bowl in the middle, guys who can bowl fast. That’s exactly what you want as a bowling unit and as a captain. They’re a really really balanced fast-bowling side.
“Then, you’ve got two great wrist-spinners, and we’ve got Jaddu as well who’s a superb all-rounder. We’ve got three good fast bowlers and we’ve got Hardik who is the best all-rounder in the world at the moment. You’ve got MS who’s the best finisher in the world, you’ve got Virat who’s the best batsman in the world. You can’t really ask for more.”
One of the things that holds India in good stead for the World Cup is the combination of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. While Kohli is all fire and brimstone, Dhoni keeps his cool under extreme pressure and that is one of the reasons why Kohli has a strong backing for his predecessor. Apart from his quicksilver gloves, Dhoni stands apart for the simple fact that he is the master-tactician to plot the dismissals behind the stumps and Aaron, who played under both Kohli and Dhoni and even had the distinction of captaining the latter during the 2017 Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament, believes that it is the “best combination you can ask for”.
“It’s the best combination you can ask for. Virat is really aggressive and MS is really cool so it balances out really well. MS is the most successful One-Day captain in the world and having somebody with MS’s experience and brains in the team is always invaluable. The combination is brilliant, Virat wants to win every game. You have MS who has a really cool head and can give you the best advice at any point in time,” Aaron, who has played nine Tests and as many ODIs for India, said.
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