5 All-rounders India can try to make up for Hardik Pandya

India and Australia are involved in a heated cricketing tussle on the latter’s lawn. The visitors flagged off their tour with a disappointing loss against the mighty Kangaroos in the first two ODIs at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Talking about the chinks in the Virat Kohli-led troops’ armor, the bowling unit has got no answers to the tough questions posed by the Aussie opening pair in the form of David Warner and Aaron Finch.

In the two ODIs played till now, Men-in-yellow has posted a first-wicket record stand of 298 runs wreaking havoc on the off-colored Indian pace artillery. Innumerable questions continue to pop-up owing to the ordinary Indian bowling performance on foreign soil.

The tentative unavailability of Hardik Pandya in the Indian pace department due to fitness issues has hurt the team holistically. Adding pressure to the opposition batting line-up with his hit-the-deck deliveries, the batting all-rounder brings an extra weightage to the bowling arsenal.

Since Hardik didn’t don the all-rounder’s hat much in the current high-octane series, this article sheds light on other alternatives for team India. Interestingly, there are 5 Top all-rounders who may play his role to perfection.

Here are 5 all-rounders who can make up for Hardik Pandya in India’s ODI team

1. Shivam Dube

Earlier, Shivam Dube was the captain’s go-to person in Hardik’s absence. Debuting for India in the fifty-over format against West Indies in 2019, he did not have a great start in his International career. However, the Mumbai-based batting all-rounder has shown sparks of brilliance with both the bat and ball in the shortest format of the game.

Out of the 12 appearances so far, he has scored 105 runs at a strike rate of 136.36 and picked 5 wickets as a medium pacer aiding the Indian all-rounder’s pool. Ability to don Hardik’s hat seamlessly, Shivam can make use of the bowler-friendly pitches and pull no punches against the batting dynamos on the other end.

The 27-years-old has weaved good performance in the domestic circuit. In his List A career, he has plucked 35 crucial breakthroughs and mustered 623 runs in 37 matches. Thus, the heavyweight holds the potential to turn the tables for the Indian team.