Hardik Pandya is the key, as Team India looks forward to overseas tours

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has relieved the selectors off a lot of burden, as India were always in search for a fast bowling all-rounder. Quite a few names participated in the audition, the most successful being Irfan Pathan. He played 29 Test matches, and picked up 100 wickets, and was fairly successful with the bat too. Pathan has a century and 1000-plus runs under his belt but is no longer in contention.

Karnataka’s Stuart Binny too fancied his chances. Binny played 6 Test matches for India, scored a fifty and picked 3 wickets. But just like the rest, Binny also skipped down the ranks. Pandya is not a known face in the domestic circuit. He has played just 20 first-class games and scored 924 runs. The 23-year-old has played 40 List A games and notched up 623 runs, with four fifties. But these numbers don’t matter, to the captain at least.

Backed by the skipper

“When you play away from home, an (all-rounder) gives you a lot of balance, and I think Hardik can be that guy going ahead, especially playing so much cricket away from home,” Indian skipper Virat Kohli said in Sri Lanka. “If he grows in confidence, you see someone like Ben Stokes, what he does for England. Brings in great balance as an all-rounder. I see no reason why Hardik Pandya can’t become that for India.”

Pandya had a great Test series against Sri Lanka. A 50 in his debut Test and a maiden hundred in the final game. He also scalped 4 wickets in the 3-match series. The Baroda boy has the potential to be the trump card of his side. He has the backing of the management, he will have assistance from the tracks overseas and most importantly he has immense self-confidence. Pandya’s rise looks promising but the challenge will be to cement his place in the longer run.