IND V AUS 2020: ‘Hardik Pandya’s game awareness is second to none’ - Ravi Shastri 

Team India coach Ravi Shastri singled out ‘batsman’ Hardik Pandya and left-arm seamer T Natarajan for special praise following India’s 2-1 T20I series win against Australia.

While terming Hardik Pandya as one of the cleanest strikers of the ball, Shastri added that T. Natarajan grabbed his opportunities brilliantly on debut. The team India coach was quoted as telling TOI:

"Winning the T20s without Rohit and Bumrah was a huge achievement. What's essentially working beautifully for this team is players standing up to these responsibilities. In that, Hardik has been a natural. His game awareness is second to none. He's one of the cleanest strikers of the ball I've seen in the game."

On Natarajan Shastri said, the manner in which he went from being a net bowler to India’s strike bowler is a wonderful story in itself.

"He (Natarajan) was picked only as a net bowler. He got the opportunity and turned into a golden one. The credit goes to the team management and support staff for believing in him, working with him and instilling that confidence. He's got a long journey ahead of him," Shastri added.

Hardik Pandya and Natarajan: The unlikely heroes of India’s T20I triumph

While India would have expected the likes of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Yuzvendra Chahal to deliver consistent match-winning performances in the T20Is, Hardik Pandya and Natarajan emerged as the two star performers for India, leading them to glory in the T20I series.

Natarajan, you were outstanding this series. To perform brilliantly in difficult conditions on your India debut speaks volumes of your talent and hardwork 👏 You deserve Man of the Series from my side bhai! Congratulations to #TeamIndia on the win 🇮🇳🏆 pic.twitter.com/gguk4WIlQD

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) December 8, 2020

Hardik Pandya was the man of the series for his excellent effort in the T20Is. He hammered 78 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 156, including a scintillating 42 not out off 22 balls as India won the second T20I at Sydney, and with it the series.

So good was Hardik Pandya in both ODIs and T20Is that critics wondered why he wasn’t retained for the Tests. Indian captain Kohli however opined that the all-rounder will need to bowl to fit into the Test playing XI.

As for Natarajan, he was the leading wicket-taker in the T20Is with six wickets at a strike rate of 12 and an economy rate of 6.91. In a poignant gesture, Hardik Pandya handed over his man of the series award to Natarajan, stating he was the worthy winner of the prize.

The last few months have been surreal. My maiden outing with #TeamIndia and we won the T20I series. A dream come true moment made special by the champion bunch. I thank my teammates for their constant support and encouragement. Thank you everyone for your love & support 🙏 pic.twitter.com/o2yCP4RVU0

— Natarajan (@Natarajan_91) December 9, 2020

With the limited-overs leg over, India and Australia now move on to the Test matches. The first of the four games will be the day-night encounter at Adelaide, starting from December 17.