“Hardik Pandya was a disappointment in the one-day series” - Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has termed all-rounder Hardik Pandya as one of the disappointments of the recently-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Hardik Pandya played all three matches of the one-day series against the Lankans. He was out for 0 and 19 on the two occasions he batted and managed only two wickets with his medium pace at an average of 48.50.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra admitted that Hardik Pandya’s performance in the series was a bit of a let down. Speaking about the Baroda all-rounder, Chopra said:

“Hardik Pandya had a tough series. He got a duck in the second ODI but looked good during his 19 in the final match. However, he could not carry on. Even with his pace bowling, he did not do too much of note. So, Hardik Pandya’s performance can be seen as a little disappointment from this ODI series against Sri Lanka. By the time Nitish Rana came in (to bat after Hardik Pandya’s dismissal in the final ODI), the pressure was too much on India.”

Ahead of the series, there was plenty of talk around whether Hardik Pandya would bowl in the series. There was a positive trend in this aspect as the 27-year-old ended up bowling 14 overs during the three games even though he wasn’t as penetrative as India would have liked. Hardik Pandya hasn’t bowled a lot following his back surgery in 2019.

The Indian all-rounder has immense belief in India's bench strength. Do you agree with @hardikpandya7's statement? 🤔#SLvIND #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/DBvZmbGzwY

— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) July 24, 2021

I like to celebrate my bad days: Hardik Pandya

Despite his recent slump in form, Hardik Pandya remains positive. On Friday, he stated that he is learning from his failures and actually likes to celebrate his bad days. He told the host broadcaster for the India-Sri Lanka series:

“I understand that in life you have to keep growing. As a cricketer and a person you need to keep growing. My process is just growing as a human being. You tend to make mistakes, you fail, but I like to celebrate my failures. I like to celebrate my bad days, it is a part of the sport and it teaches you a lot of things. I like to remember it.”

Having won the three-match ODI series following victories in the first two one-dayers, India made as many as six changes for the final ODI on Friday, handing debuts to five players. Speaking about India’s current pool of players, Hardik Pandya claimed that they can be good enough to field two more teams. He said:

“The kind of talent which the Indian team possesses right now, I think we can pick two more teams and win any competition in the world.”

With the ODI series in the bag, India will now take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series, which starts on Sunday, July 25.