T20 World Cup 2022: Hardik Pandya’s batting under scrutiny ahead of business end as India prepare for plucky Zimbabwe

As India crashed out of the group stages of the T20 World Cup last year, the player who was scrutinised the most was Hardik Pandya. Fans and experts alike railed over his inability to contribute with the ball, thus questioning his place in the side.

The star all-rounder next played for India in June this year. In between, he worked immensely hard on his fitness, led the Gujarat Titans to victory in their maiden season, while getting to look at life through a different lens.

Cut to the ongoing World Cup in Australia. This time, it is Hardik Pandya's batting that has come under the scanner. It’s not that the 29-year-old is terribly out of form. But he has been tepid and looked far from his best. Mind you, the Indian team has slotted him into a role that he aced for his IPL franchise. Unlike donning the finisher’s hat in the past, Hardik now plays an anchor role at No. 5.

He had his best IPL season with the bat, amassing a staggering 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and a strike-rate of 131.27. The last figure accentuates his latest feather in the cap. He came into this showpiece on the back of his highest T20I score – stroking a blistering 71* off 30 balls against Australia in Mohali.

He even started the World Cup with a bang. Or so it seemed. The opening game against Pakistan saw Hardik Pandya share a game-changing 113-run fifth-wicket alliance with Virat Kohli. Even though the former skipper credited him for the initial impetus, Hardik’s 37-ball 40 was as scratchy a knock you’ll ever see.

Yes he got things going by taking on the spinners, while allowing Kohli to get his eye in. But he also conceded a slew of dots towards the back end, thus mounting pressure on his partner. He scored just 11 runs off his last 16 deliveries, without a single hit to the fence.

If we nitpick further, Hardik particularly struggled against balls short and wide outside the off stump. The Pakistani pace triumvirate regularly beat him on both pace and bounce. There was one particular instance when he took a stroll towards the leg umpire, even as Kohli was verbally trying to fray his nerves.

The issue against short-pitched stuff has plagued him right through the tournament. He failed to keep down a Lungi Ngidi bouncer in Perth, as Kagiso Rabada took a fantastic catch diving forward at deep fine leg. In Adelaide against Bangladesh, Hardik guided a gentle loosener straight to Yasir Ali at point.

While Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have time and again bailed India out of precarious situations, Hardik Pandya’s numbers do not make for a pretty picture. He has scored just 47 runs at a timid average and strike-rate of 15.66 and 102.17, respectively. In essence, he has managed just seven runs in the two innings – he didn’t have to bat against the Netherlands – after the Pakistan knock.

Ahead of the final group game against Zimbabwe, and two potential knockouts, Hardik Pandya’s batting was the prime focus in India’s optional practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Saturday. Chief Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour were not only serving throwdowns, but they were also in constant conversation with him.

Hardik and Virat Kohli were the first ones to grace the outdoor nets, even as hundreds of fans gathered to wish the birthday boy. The former kicked off against the limited bowling options available. Harshal Patel and stand-by pacer Mohammad Siraj bowled in full tilt, while Yuzvendra Chahal and Deepak Hooda briefly rolled their arm over. In the adjacent net, the crowd got behind every shot Kohli played against the throwdowns.

There was a frenzy among the baying crowd, as Virat Kohli came out of the nets after practising for about half an hour. In walked opening partners Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, had switched nets and was in the middle of an intense discussion with Rathour.

Standing at the crease, the former Punjab batter displayed the statutory footwork for deliveries short and wide of off. The 53-year-old demonstrated how after a short stride, the right foot will go back and across, before rolling the wrists over the ball to keep it down. Hardik paid attention like a kid trying to learn his new video game. This was for not repeating his mistake against Bangladesh.

He also practised against balls aimed at his body, in a bid to course-correct his Perth dismissal. For balls on the hard length and back of length, Hardik tried to flat-bat them in front of square. Perhaps in a conscious move to negate the extra bounce on the Australian tracks and hence curtail the pull and the hook shots. Rathour frequented in and out of the net, either correcting the posture or passing appreciating remarks.

The dismissal to Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz was also up for discussion. The swings and misses against the fast bowlers had drained Hardik Pandya, both physically and mentally. With Nawaz bowling almost medium pace and firing one into the pads, Hardik tried to hoick it into the leg side. But he ended up splicing it to cover.

He had completely lost his shape while playing that shot. And Vikram Rathour laid special emphasis on that rectification yesterday. Again walking into the net, the batting head gestured to open up the left shoulder while bringing out the flick shot, and rotate the hip in the direction of the shot in the follow-through.

What followed was a flurry of balls down the leg side as Hardik Pandya looked to tick all the boxes. With the throwdown specialists catering to Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the other nets, Dravid also joined Rathour to keep a close watch on Hardik. But after the technical lessons were over, the all-rounder unfurled his full array of shots. He ramped balls aimed at his throat, while lifting those pitched up.

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Hardik Pandya the bowler rises to the occasion

Hardik Pandya has taken a wicket every second over in the tournament

India suffered a body blow as spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the World Cup with a stress fracture in his lower back. While there has been a rich reserve of fast bowlers, Hardik Pandya stepping up with the ball has cushioned any potential impact. And he has been easily topping 140 clicks.

Barring the Netherlands game in which bowled just a solitary over, Hardik has been the enforcer through the middle. He has scalped six wickets so far, but his economy of eight and a strike-rate of 12 have been the icing on the cake.

He single-handedly stifled Pakistan’s middle order, returning impressive figures of three for 30. Against the Proteas, he unleashed a bouncer barrage and made life difficult for Aiden Markram. He eventually took him out to record one for 29.

The rain-curtailed Bangladesh game saw Rohit trust Hardik with the death overs. And he repaid the faith with his twin strikes in the 13th over, which further derailed the chase. He and Arshdeep Singh bowled in tandem for the final six overs to close out what eventually became a tight game.

Hardik Pandya has always lent balance to any side. He is the fulcrum around which Rohit Sharma can go about marshalling his troops. The all-rounder has already fulfilled whatever was expected of him with the white Kookaburra. If he clicks with the willow, one can’t discount India from ending the 15-year wait.

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