The Hardik Pandya issue: ODI World Cup concerns voiced despite India’s good start to T20 World Cup preparations
The India-Australia T20I series, which concluded on Sunday in Bengaluru, had a subdued atmosphere. Most of the players from either side who were part of the tournament were rested, since it was viewed as India’s chance to avenge a painful ODI World Cup final loss to Australia, although in a different format. India only had three World Cup players, with Shreyas Iyer joining for the final two games. Australia, on the other hand, started with seven players, six of whom left after the third game, leaving Travis Head, the World Cup final hero, as the only one who stayed. The lack of big-name players reduced the series’ mystique. Nonetheless, with the 2024 T20 World Cup only seven months away, the battle had its own significance.
India, like most other nations, has few games scheduled before the World Cup, which will be hosted by the West Indies and the United States beginning June 4. India’s schedule for the event comprises 11 international matches, beginning with a three-match series against South Africa next week, followed by the same number of matches against Afghanistan in January. As a result, each game is a step closer to assembling a core 15-man side capable of ending their long-standing ICC trophy drought.
With fewer matches scheduled, you’d expect to have all of your top resources available straight away, but with selectors electing to give 12 of their ODI World Cup squad members a much-needed break, the fringe possibilities were put to use with Suryakumar Yadav at the helm. The Australia series was thus an opportunity for these individuals to make a case for selection to the World Cup team, and India found a few positives in their dramatic 4-1 victory. Suryakumar regained his rhythm after a quiet ODI World Cup appearance in the format he most enjoys, while Iyer, making his return to T20Is after nearly a year, sealed the series with an important fifty. Openers Yashavi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, as well as Jitesh Sharma and Ishan Kishan, showed glimpses of his excellence, while the star of India’s campaign was Rinku Singh, who asserted himself as a finisher as well as a vital middle-order option.
However, much like the ODI World Cup, there was an unexplored blemish among the run scoring, six hitting, centuries, and wins, and former Australian cricketer Simon Katich was quick to point that out during his discussion on Jio Cinema ahead of the start of the fifth T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The balance Hardik Pandya brought to the line-up was the component that made India an unbeatable team at the outset of the World Cup in October. In contrast to the 2010s, no top-order batters bowl in a white-ball game. With the introduction of throwdowns in practice sessions and injury worries, hitters have ceased training on their bowling ability, forcing captains to rely on genuine all-rounders to strike a balance in the lineup. Because Hardik is India’s sole top fast-bowling all-rounder, he automatically becomes the most important member of the XI, possibly even ahead of the captain. Imagine a bowler of Mohammed Shami’s stature being forced to warm the bench in the early stages of the competition due to the issue surrounding it.
