The Indian Panorama

Tag: Hardik Pandya

  • T20 World Cup is seeking to energize cricket’s newest format

    Barely a week after the Indian Premier League final (IPL), most of the leading cricketers have already got down to the grind as the ICC Twenty20 World Cup commenced in the United States of America on Saturday (U.S. time). The willow game no longer has an off-season and the championship that would meander through the U.S. and the West Indies, features 20 teams split into four groups and the final will be held in Barbados on June 29. Right through the pedigreed units such as India and Australia to Papua New Guinea and Uganda, the tournament may display an evangelical zeal to promote cricket in a sporting universe that always favors football. Cricket, with its three versions of Tests, ODIs and T20Is, can at times lapse into an identity crisis with the game’s purity and mettle vesting with the five-day format while the commercial muscle almost entirely hinges on the shorter avatars. Even within these layers, the granular issues get complex as T20Is never have the same allure that domestic leagues such as the IPL flaunt. It is in this space that the T20 World Cup hopes to operate and energize the format, once every two years. The ninth edition should offer a cricket of the fast and furious variety while players quickly switch from club loyalties to nationalistic fervor.

    Hope too floats as Papua New Guinea turned up despite grappling with a massive landslide and the resultant loss of life back home. For India, the long quest for an ICC trophy gets another episode. The last silverware was the Champions Trophy won in 2013, and since then it has often been a case of so close and yet so far. Rohit Sharma’s men get another tilt and there is no mistaking the talent they collectively possess. There may be simmering issues such as the leadership angle following the awkward transition from Rohit to Hardik Pandya as captain of Mumbai Indians. At the national level, Rohit continues to helm while Pandya becomes his deputy and coach Rahul Dravid, always clued into ego hassles right from his playing days, may have to steer the ship away from choppy waters. Placed in Group A, India will open its campaign against Ireland on Wednesday but the big game is the one involving Pakistan at New York, on Sunday. Geopolitics has meant that it is only in ICC events that the neighbors face off against each other. While batters such as Travis Head and Heinrich Klassen can set rollicking templates, bowlers such as Jasprit Bumrah too will have a role to play in a format that tends to mask nuance under a breathless pace.

    (The Hindu)

  • Irreplaceable: India not losing sleep over Pandya’s form

    Irreplaceable: India not losing sleep over Pandya’s form

    Mumbai (TIP)- India are not losing sleep over all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s form or batting stalwart Virat Kohli’s strike-rate heading into the T20 World Cup in June, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said on May 2. Pandya, when fit and in form, is India’s preferred seam-bowling all-rounder and has also been retained as vice-captain of the Rohit Sharma-led squad for the T20 showpiece co-hosted by the United States and West Indies.
    Returning from an ankle injury suffered during the ODI World Cup last year, the 30-year-old has struggled with bat and ball in the IPL.
    Under his captaincy, five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have slipped to ninth place in the 10-team league and will need a miracle to make the playoffs.
    “The good part is he’s got through all the games for MI and we’ve got another month and a little bit till we play our first game,” Agarkar told reporters here.
    “As long as he stays fit, we know what he brings, how much balance he gives the team. I don’t think there’s a replacement for the things that he can do as a cricketer, especially with the ball. He really gives Rohit the option to play different combinations. So his fitness for us is critical and so far, fortunately, he’s gone okay in this IPL.”
    Consistent Kohli
    Unlike Pandya, Kohli has been consistent in the IPL with 500 runs so far this season and only Ruturaj Gaikwad (509) has scored more runs than the former India captain.
    Many find Kohli’s strike-rate of 147.59 not impressive enough but Agarkar and Rohit laughed off that criticism. “He’s been in great form in the IPL, no concerns there at all,” Agarkar said stressing the need for experience in a World Cup campaign. “You’ve got to prepare knowing there’s a gap (between the IPL and a World Cup). That’s where experience does matter a lot.” “There’s no point overthinking it.”
    While the IPL provides a glimpse into the form and fitness of the players, Agarkar said performance in the league alone did not influence team selection.
    With the ball likely to turn in West Indies, India have picked two specialist spinners — Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal — along with spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
    “I wanted four spinners, three (specialist) seamers and Hardik as the fourth one,” Rohit said. “Based on the combination of our opponents, there’s a good chance that Kuldeep and Chahal will play together…”
    Inaugural champions India will begin their campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5 and also face arch-rivals Pakistan, the United States and Canada in Group A. Source: Reuters

  • Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as MI captain, franchise loses 400k followers in 1 hour

    Hardik Pandya replaces Rohit Sharma as MI captain, franchise loses 400k followers in 1 hour

    Mumbai (TIP)- Mumbai Indians lost 400,000 followers on Twitter an hour within an hour of announcing Hardik Pandya as their new captain ahead of the Indian Premier League 2024 season. Pandya was announced as the new captain of the side on December 15. The former Gujarat Titans captain would be taking over from legendary Rohit Sharma, who has five IPL titles to his name.
    Sharma had been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013 and won a record number of titles – 5, which was equaled by Mahendra Singh Dhon in IPL 2023. Sharma, who has not played T20Is for India since 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final loss against India will not be leading his franchise from IPL 2024. The India captain took a break from cricket after India’s heartbreaking loss in the final of World Cup 2023 and is set to return in the 2-match Test series against South Africa, which starts on 26 December.
    “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season,” Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said.
    Hardik Pandya, who debuted in the IPL for Mumbai Indians returns to the franchise after 2 years of captaining Gujarat Titans. Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season, where they beat Rajasthan Royals in the final of IPL 2022. Hardik Pandya was named the player of the match in the final, after he picked up 3 wickets and scored 34 runs. Pandya did well with the franchise in 2023 as well, leading them to the final, where they lost to MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller.

  • Pandya’s injury throws a spanner in India’s plans

    Pandya’s injury throws a spanner in India’s plans

    Pune (TIP)- When the television camera zoomed into the Indian dressing room during the drinks break after the 17th over of the India innings, it captured the worried face of captain Rohit Sharma sitting next to his allrounder Hardik Pandya, surrounded by coach Rahul Dravid, batting coach Vikram Rathour and other members of the support staff. The grim picture was a result of a freak ankle injury Pandya suffered while bowling the ninth over of the Bangaldesh innings on Thursday. Every team has a few irreplaceable players and in the Indian cricket team, Pandya is that player. The home side’s game plan for the World Cup has been based on his batting at No 6 and chipping in with crucial overs too.
    But Pandya appeared to twist his ankle in his follow-through while trying to stop a straight drive off Litton Das. He did not return to the field for the remainder of the innings and in their update posted on social media platform X (Twitter) by the BCCI stated: “Hardik Pandya’s injury is being assessed at the moment and he is being taken for scans.”
    In a chat just after the seven-wicket win, Rohit revealed: “He pulled up a bit sore. There is no major damage, that is good for us. But obviously with an injury like that, we have to assess every day and we will do whatever is required.” Coming in place of Jasprit Bumrah from the Press Box end, Pandya’s third ball was driven straight down the ground by Litton Das, and almost by reflex, the bowler stuck his right foot out to stop it, but he got into a tangle and ended up overstretching his left leg and twisting his ankle.
    After getting treatment from the physio, Pandya tried to go back to his bowling mark but was visibly hobbling and was forced to leave the field. Virat Kohli stepped in to complete the last three balls of the over.
    Given how important his role is to the team’s cause, the India camp will be desperately be hoping that he recovers quickly. Source: HT

  • Hardik’s all-round heroics power India to 50-run win in first T20I

    Hardik’s all-round heroics power India to 50-run win in first T20I

    Southampton (TIP)- Hardik Pandya reigned supreme with one of the finest all-round performances in recent times as India bossed England to emerge winners by 50 runs in the first T20 International here. The swashbuckling all-rounder led India’s aggressive batting display with a blistering 33-ball 51, propelling the visitors to 198 for eight after they opted to bat first. Hardik then finished with excellent figures of 4/33, destroying England’s batting with his full quota of four overs. He became only the fourth player from full member nations to score a fifty and take four wickets in a T20I match.

    England’s innings ended at 148 in 19.3 overs. This was Hardik’s first T20I half-century, helping India score at a brisk pace in the middle overs after Rohit Sharma (24 off 14 balls), Deepak Hooda (33 0ff 17) and Suryakumar Yadav (39 off 19) set it up with their enterprising knocks.

    Motoring along at 178 for five at the end of 17th over, India failed to finish their innings with a flourish on a belter of a pitch. But that did not matter in the end, despite India spilling a few catches.

    Defending 199, India had a dream start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled skipper Jos Buttler with a beautiful inswinger, having tested Jason Roy with four outswingers. Coming off his fine show with the bat, Hardik delivered with the ball in his very first over not once, but twice, removing Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone to leave England in a disarray at 29 for three in the fifth over.

    Hardik was not done yet as he ended Roy’s painstaking stay in the middle when he had the opener caught at third man after a thick edge. He capped off a memorable outing by taking the wicket of Sam Curran.

    Earlier, seeking to make up for the lost time after missing the fifth Test against England owing to COVID-19, Rohit got India off to a brisk start. First up, Rohit charged down the track to smash Sam Curran towards mid-off and while a diving Chris Jordan got a hand to it, the ball was hit too hard and all the fielder could do was deflect it to the fence. Reece Topley strayed down the leg and Rohit whipped it off his pads for his second boundary. That was followed by another four as the India captain played it through point, forcing his English counterpart Jos Buttler to introduce spin as early as the third over. Unperturbed, Rohit went after Moeen Ali straightaway and collected two boundaries off him by employing the sweep shots on both occasions. However, the experienced off-spinning all-rounder came back strongly to dismiss the India skipper just when he was beginning to look ominous, with a delivery that drifted away for Rohit to snick it to Buttler. Coming off his maiden century against Ireland, Deepak Hooda started from where he left off in the previous game at Malahide, smashing Moeen high over long-on for two massive sixes. That he opened his account with a maximum showed the kind of confidence that the man from Rohtak carried into Ageas Bowl. And even though Moeen enjoyed his second breakthrough in the form of Ishan Kishan, who did not look to be in control of his pull shots, India continued with their attacking approach. While Hooda started with a six, Suryakumar Yadav began his innings with a four, sweeping Moeen over backward square leg.

    The man in form, Hooda continued to deal in boundaries, hitting Topley for three fours in the innings’ sixth over as India galloped to 66 for two in the powerplay. Surya dispatched Tymal Mills over fine leg for a six, and then, comfortably got two fours on the off-side off Matt Parkinson’s innocuous leg-spinners.

    Amid the flurry of boundaries, India lost Hooda — a rather soft dismissal — as he failed to connect to a Jordan delivery that was going down leg. One big-hitter was replaced by another, as Hardik Pandya joined Suryakumar in the middle to continue the aggression. In no time, Hardik started dealing in boundaries and even though Suryakumar got out, after getting a six and a four off Mills and Jordan respectively, there was no stopping India’s charge. Hardik kept finding the fence with ease and a missed stumping off Parkinson, when the batter was on 37, compounded England’s woes. But they did manage to dismiss Hardik after he had got to his fifty.

    Source: PTI