Former Australian opening batsman Matthew Hayden has emphasized the critical role played by India’s fast-bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, in maintaining the balance of the team. He expressed that whenever Pandya is absent from the lineup, it has been observed that the team’s equilibrium is affected.
Pandya was ruled out of India’s upcoming match in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup against New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala after sustaining a left ankle injury while attempting to prevent a boundary during the match against Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
Hayden praised Pandya’s abilities, stating, “He is that good an all-rounder at the moment, and when you think back into the history of the way he’s been performing, whenever he’s not playing for any team there is always a balance issue. He provides that great stability.”
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Despite Pandya’s early departure, India is fortunate to have strong batting alternatives in players like Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, who can fill the void left by Pandya. Additionally, specialist seamer Mohammad Shami will make a return to the side. Therefore, Hayden suggests that the ideal approach would be to incorporate a specialist batter into the lineup, providing flexibility to include a specialist seam bowler like Shami.
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Hayden noted, “I don’t think you can have Jadeja batting up the order, I feel that’s a fragility in the Indian batting line up. The best combination is to get a specialist batter in there, and that way then you have an option to pick a specialist seam bowler as well in Shami.”
India, with a perfect record of four wins in as many matches, is one of the two teams that remain unbeaten in the current Men’s ODI World Cup. They will face New Zealand, the other undefeated team in the competition, in their next match, with the Kiwis currently leading the table on net run rate.
-IANS
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