MULLANPUR: After talking about his half-century in the first T20I in Cuttack on Monday evening, Hardik Pandya raised his bat high, looked at the dressing room with a straight face and simply got back to business. The unbeaten 28-ball 59 may have seemed like a T20 knock from the talented all-rounder, but Pandya’s innings offered a timely reminder of what exactly the Indian team lacked in white-ball cricket in his absence. Pandya, an inherently flamboyant character, now exudes a sense of calm in a team full of young people full of adrenaline. Coming out to bat on a damp pitch with India struggling at 78/4 in the 12th over against a nifty South African bowling attack, he did not look troubled.
India’s T20 designated hitters – Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma – had all succumbed to the strangulation applied by the South African bowlers. Pandya, returning from a two-month layoff due to a quadriceps injury, batted like he had never left. The Indian team management and selectors took a harsh decision when they dropped Pandya as a leadership candidate after the victorious T20 World Cup campaign in 2024. This was largely due to the frequency of his injuries.Every time he returns from injury, Pandy reminds the world what the team has been missing. The fact that the team management had to constantly shuffle their playing XI in ODIs in Pandya’s absence is a good example of this. The two ODI series in Australia and against South Africa at home exposed India’s lack of power hitters late in the innings. Moreover, Pandya is also the sixth bowler. “I stayed strong. I did a lot of things with grace and that helped me become even more confident, support myself and really trust my skills. I really believe in myself as a player,” Pandya told bcci.tv.Throughout his career, power and boldness have been part of Pandya’s cricketing identity, but he has now moved beyond mindless work and developed an ability to absorb pressure consistently without compromising the team’s needs. Since the Asia Cup, the middle order hasn’t really been as explosive as the modern T20 demands. The likes of Suryakumar and Tilak haven’t really been able to break free in conditions where the ball isn’t coming to the bat at a consistent rate. Axar Patel’s promotion in the order has been under debate for over a year now.Former Indian wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta explained the team’s thought process behind sending Pandya after Axar. “India have not played on flat pitches. They will probably play more on pitches which will help Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav in the T20 World Cup. It is important for young batters to bat with more freedom knowing that Pandya is there to stabilize the innings lower down. That is the problem with Pandya now. He is the stabilizer of this batting lineup. Coming after the 12th over is the sweet spot for him,” Dasgupta told TOI.Dasgupta established this point by pointing out how Pandya could bat with a high strike rate while appearing risk-free. “He was batting straight and with ease. No risks were taken. Once he came to bat, he played the situation beautifully and also ensured that the run rate increased. It was not an easy pitch to hit, but he took responsibility. That is what India lacked. Pandya is the link between the top order and the lower middle order,” he said.Pandya has endured a lot. Every time his career seemed to have found a new wing, he was bogged down by injuries or off-field controversies. India will need this strong and calm Pandya to contribute more in white-ball cricket.
