Hardik Pandya: The man Pakistan fears the most | Cricket News

TimesofIndia.com in Dubai: Exactly per week in the past, on the eve of India’s first match towards Pakistan, Hardik Pandya was taking absolute stunners whereas practising with Team India fielding coach T Dilip at the ICC Cricket Academy.The India all-rounder missed a diving catch and instantly quipped: “Agar main dive maar raha hoon iska matlab main theek se move nahi kar raha (If I am diving, it means I am not moving and anticipating quickly).”Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Pandya completed the session with a surprising operating catch and acquired a bear hug from coach T Dilip.On Friday in Abu Dhabi, T Dilip was celebrating Pandya’s operating catch to dismiss Oman’s Aamir Kaleem, who was trying to do the not possible. Kaleem flicked it to Pandya’s proper, patrolling at high-quality leg. He moved quickly, threw out his palms, and pulled off a blinder. He did very properly to maintain his stability too whereas operating mere metres from the boundary rope.It was a catch that stored Oman at bay and saved India the humiliation.

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar in contrast Pandya with Faheem Ashraf, saying, “They bowl at a similar pace. But the only difference is attitude. Hardik is in your face, while Faheem is timid.”Akhtar is partially true about Hardik, however Faheem Ashraf as an athlete is nowhere near the Indian all-rounder. He can’t win Pakistan matches with the bat, ball, and in the area.Hardik was a pivotal cog in Virat Kohli’s workforce throughout codecs. With him in the XI, the time period “Kulcha” was coined for the wrist-spin duo—Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. His career-threatening damage broke that partnership, as a result of with out Pandya in the XI, solely one in all them might slot in.

In Tests, he grew to become India’s fourth seamer — a luxurious to have. It is saddening {that a} participant of Pandya’s calibre has solely performed 11 Tests, together with his final look in 2018. India missed him dearly in the two World Test Championship (WTC) finals. He is the stability India want in abroad Tests.Former India power and conditioning coach Soham Desai, who has seen Pandya intently, highlighted his workload.“Hardik is genetically and naturally very athletic. Very, very athletic. He has kept the benchmarks high. You won’t find such a guy who comes in the top 3 in sprint, explosiveness, and endurance. He is one of those guys,” mentioned Desai to TimesofIndia.com.“Obviously, with age, your body tends to slow down. But with his work ethic, hard work, and professionalism, he has maintained the benchmarks. His bowling load is equal to Siraj, Bumrah or Shami. In batting, it’s 60-70% of Virat Kohli’s workload—preparation-wise, not game load. So imagine the physical load he faces preparing for a series or tournament,” he mentioned.“That is why we need to address those cases differently,” he added.Coming again to Pandya’s catch: might Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf pluck these? Or is it solely about angle, as Akhtar recommended?Team India fielding coach T Dilip summed up Hardik’s brilliance: “The very important thing is preparation. Everybody has seen that. We were spot on with high catches and boundary line catches. But the most important factor was, at that moment, how well Hardik reacted. It is never easy, especially against a sweep when the ball is travelling. Catching technique, balancing with the ropes, and awareness made it fabulous. That is something we practised, and today he executed it under pressure,” Dilip mentioned in Abu Dhabi.He additionally subtly touched on Pandya’s workload administration. “Regarding workload, I think one thing we are very conscious of is communication—myself, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and Adrian (trainer). Whenever I push, someone else takes the back seat, and vice versa. In long camps, we focus on volume, but closer to tournaments, it’s all about specifics and intensity. With Hardik, his ability over time has been outstanding. It’s just about doing those little specifics,” he mentioned.Hardik is probably not Kapil Dev, the one everybody thought he would emulate, however regardless of accidents and restricted matches, he’s the greatest India has acquired. There is a cause the administration wraps him in cotton wool — they know his significance. So do former Pakistan cricketers and specialists. On their reveals, they speak extra about Hardik than Bumrah, Kuldeep, or Suryakumar Yadav.Hardik Pandya is certainly the Indian cricketer Pakistan fears and admires the most in the present setup.