IPL 2019: MI coach Mahela Jayawardene praises Hardik Pandya’s all-round show in tournament

Hardik Pandya has definitely put behind his Koffee with Karan fiasco given his brilliant show with both the bat and ball in the ongoing IPL 2019. The Baroda based all-rounder has scored 373 runs so far at an astonishing strike rate of 197.35 and the highest score of 91 with 28 sixes and has picked 14 wickets as well with the best of 3/20.

Pandya’s biggest value came in the lower order, as he along with Kieron Pollard and brother Krunal helmed the power-hitting department well. The MI top order was solely dependent on Quinton de Kock, with Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav not managing to achieve consistency and this meant the lower order coming to fore and Pandya shining through brightly.

Jayawardene praises Hardik Pandya for his amazing show with bat and ball

Hardik was awarded the Man of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders in their last league match at the Wankhede the other night for his amazing bowling heroics as he claimed the important wickets of Shubman Gill and Chris Gill who had got KKR off to a flying start. His such performances have prompted the Mumbai head coach Mahela Jayawardene to praise him given that he has adapted well to his role in the team.

“More than technically it was about his (Hardik’s) temperament, be patient rather than force the issues. With Hardik, it is about holding his shape pretty much (and) he has got a lot of power going forward. It is not just one area where he has improved this year, he is hitting at different pockets, so it is very difficult for bowlers to bowl to him,” Jayawardene said after the final league game.

Pandya has added a new dimension to his hitting abilities by smashing even the fastest of bowlers out of the ground in this tournament. Earlier, it was only spinners who bore the brunt of his hitting, but this time, even the quick bowlers felt the wrath of Pandya.

“It is not the easiest job in the world when you are batting at number 6 or 7, coming in and give (score) that extra runs for the team but he has adapted well, and he is still learning. So, we are quite happy with the progress he has made over the years,” Jayawardene further added.

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