Has Hardik Pandya Proven Himself as a Potential Number 6?

Due to an injury, Hardik Pandya is now restricted to only batting.

Despite his bowling loss, Hardik Pandya has managed to retain his place in the side as a pure batsman.

In the past, Hardik Pandya has made a name for himself as an aggressive batsman.

He does well late in the innings to provide good finishes.

With the Mumbai Indians, he has done the same despite playing as a batsman.

With how one-day cricket has changed, the number six is expected to be a multi-utility player.

 

The player either bowls or keeps as MS Dhoni did for India.

With Pandya, not bowling, many questions were asked on his inclusion over a proper batsman in Manish Pandey.

Considered a hitter, Pandya’s role may have suited the T20 format well, but in ODIs, there may have been more doubts.

In one-day cricket, a pure batsman is expected to be a little more balanced in his approach; something Pandya is not known to do.

While Pandya has the game to adjust to the situation, he has always been seen in an aggressive avatar, which brings out questions.

His role as a number six has finally been tested against Australia in the first ODI.

Hardik walked in during the fourteenth over of a steep chase.

The situation seemed perfect to show he can build an innings and play like a batsman.

 

While aggression was required with the run-rate rising, Pandya came in and defined clarity with his innings.

He picked his bowlers well and bought some nice strokes in his innings.

As Australian grounds are extensive, running becomes very important for the batsman.

Hardik Pandya bought in some good running and used his power game well to score 90 runs.

He ensured India stayed alive as long as he was in the crease.

There were many questions on the number six being selected on one skill, but Pandya excelled in his role.

He approached the chase well and tried taking the game deep as Dhoni used to in his days.

His aggression was what was needed in the chase, and he kept the hopes up for India.

Selected ahead of Manish Pandey, who has been successful at number six in the past, Hardik Pandya sure had a lot to prove.

His knock has been appreciated by a few commentators who have also predicted promotions for him in the future.

With magnificent innings, it can be argued that Hardik Pandya has put debates regarding his spot to rest for the time being.

While the batting side has benefited from Pandya’s presence, the bowling side has undoubtedly missed him.

As Pandya took up the number six spot, India had to play five bowlers and missed an extra bowling option.

With the bowling struggling, Pandya was worth the spot of an extra bowler or proper batsman.

Manish Pandey’s inclusion may have seemed logical as he is a proven and more versatile batsman.

Manish Pandey can rebuild an innings and add the finishing kick, while Pandya hasn’t proven his ability to build an inning.

While Pandey is a magnificent player, Pandya has done well to prove his ability to build an innings.

He built the innings in his aggressive style and showed his mettle as a proper batsman.

With Pandya, the batsman doing well, India will hope for Pandya, the bowler, to come back fast.

They desperately need an extra bowling option, and as of now, the best option is to wait for Pandya’s fitness.