When Hardik Pandya is on song, there are only a few current cricketers who can demonstrate the skills he possesses. Only a couple of them can probably emulate him.
The confidence Hardik has shown both with the bat and ball during the past few months has given the team and the management immense relief. His craft was never doubted, but the way he executed his plans was always questionable. He underperformed way too often, and that fluctuated over the years.
He showed us glimpses of his skills throughout his injury-marred career. Be it bowling with composure in the final over against Bangladesh in the ICC World T20 match in 2016. His exploits against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final in 2017, when he scored 76 runs in 43 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes. His 5 –28 and a 52 in the second innings against England in the Nottingham test of 2018 showed us he was excellent even in the longer format.
Hardik Pandya was always highly rated; he seldom delivered.
But when he did, he accomplished things that only he could have done.
The year 2022 has been a phenomenal turnaround for Hardik Pandya, to begin with, he finally got out of the shadows of the Mumbai Indians setup, where he was discovered, nurtured and developed into the promising star he is now. Had he not decided to leave the franchise that gave him everything, we wouldn’t have seen this brand new perspective to his game filled with calm, composure and self-belief.
From being the captain of an IPL franchise which is brand new, ultimately taking them to the final and winning the coveted tournament. He has been the main chink in the armour and shouldered the responsibility to lead the side and lead by example by supporting the younger teammates and giving them the confidence to perform and soak all the pressure of the big tournament. He made sure the likes of David Miller, Mohammed Shami and Rahul Tewatia performed to their best abilities.
He found his mojo with the bat, albeit in a different position and a never-before approach to his batting, by scoring 487 runs in 15 games with 4 fifties at a healthy strike rate of 131. He was the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament. In addition, he resumed bowling and even delivered at times with 8 wickets at an economy of 7.27.
This stint of captaincy and exceptional all-around performances also fueled the trust of the management to hand him the captaincy of the Indian team that toured Ireland. That was a huge step as the Indian team now has someone reliable to lead the team when Rohit Sharma is absent.
I wanted to write about this player for that one defining moment in the last over of the India v Pakistan game. When Mohammad Nawaz bowled the third ball, it was hit straight to the fielder at covers and was a dot ball.
That expression of Hardik reassuring DK, that he has got it all covered, will probably stay in the hearts of all the 1.3 billion-something Indians who watched it live and later.
He then smashed the next ball out of the park, which showed the belief of a man so sure of his abilities. Being so calm in an India-Pakistan game, the tension levels shooting above 100 in the last over with 6 runs to win, speaks volumes of the player and the space he is in right now.
I take the liberty of saying that if Hardik can persist in this zone, the Indian team would be the frontrunner to lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022.
