Internet Desk: It was Indian cricket team’s head coach Ravi Shastri’s decision to promote Hardik Pandya to number four in the batting order, which proved to be a game changer against the Australian team. According to Shastri the fiery all-rounder has got the ability to clear the fences at any ground with his sheer power.
Pandya came to bat at No 4 in the third ODI in Indore, where played a blistering knock of 78 which helped the hosts to win the match. In the next match he also score 41 for the side but India lost that match.
Asked about the inspirational move, Shastri said:”He (Hardik) is a dangerous guy. He can be a floater in the batting order – tremendous striker of the ball, especially when he hits spinners. I have not seen too many players strike against spinners like that. Yuvraj Singh in his hey days may be. This guy can clear any ground in the world, be it second ball, third ball. It’s the exuberance of youth.”
As per Shastri the key to success is being relentless every time.
“If you have got to be a good team, you have to be relentless. You have got to repeat what you did on Tuesday on Friday, and then on Sunday, and then on Tuesday again,” said Shastri.
The coach termed the chase of 243 as the best of the series considering it was a difficult Nagpur track.
“We saved best batting for the last. It wasn’t an easy track to bat on and the ‘hitman’ (Rohit’s nickname in the Indian dressing room) made it look so easy. It was a treat to the eye. The way the guys showed character once again when Australia were 60 for no loss. We were staring at 275-280 but all the bowlers chipped in and got team right back in the match.”
Shastri said that the Nagpur track forced the team management to bring back Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.
“They (Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah) have tremendous, skills. That’s why we brought both of them back in the side. When we saw the track, it demanded skills. It’s a big ground and you might go for runs with new ball.
“But when you have bowlers like them, they can bring you back in the game. They complement each other, they have got varieties galore and their actions are different and vastly experienced.”
The coach observed that there’s still some room for improvement in the side especially in the fielding department while he would ideally like any top order player, who has settled down, go on to make a big score.
“We have to raise the bar in fielding. We need to seize the initiative in an even bigger way in certain situations. One player when he gets into 60’s and 70’s, should convert and that’s what Rohit did today,” he concluded.