Hardik Pandya: It was Virat Kohli’s night, but Pandya’s all-round hand shouldn’t go unnoticed

On Saturday, as team India underwent a rigorous net session, Hardik Pandya lumbered up to bowl at Virat Kohli. Prior to this, the star batter had taken throw-downs and dazzled the gathered crowd. Then, he had faced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and smashed his bowling.

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But playing Pandya was somehow different. Hitting a back of length, the all-rounder settled into a fine rhythm even for a net session and hit the mark against Kohli. While he cover drove, punched and pulled with aplomb throughout the nearly hour-long batting practice, Kohli struggled only for a short duration against Pandya. Time and again, he was beaten, with one delivery even kissing the stumps.

To the naked eye, this was Pandya bowling at his finest. That he would have a major say in the game – and in this tournament ahead – was the standard assumption. In fact, the latter aspect becomes even more significant considering how India’s spin bowling was hammered at the MCG.

Pakistan batters, despite the poor start, identified Axar Patel and R Ashwin as the weakness on a pitch that afforded pace and bounce, and they worked it out quite well. India, for their part, also attacked spin as the jailbreak card and the ploy of bowling spin in the last over fell flat. So far in this tournament, pitches have had a green tinge on them and thus supported pacers over spinners. Once the double-headers set in this week, spin could have more say, especially in the second game.

Until then, however, Pandya will have to be in workhorse mode. The usual expectation is to use him as an impact-bowler, who can stun the opposition with his short-of-length effort ball and slower cutter variations, picking up the odd wicket and in general applying brakes to the scoring. Rohit Sharma had used him in this mannerism at Mumbai Indians for a long time.

Now, a fitter and more eager Pandya has taken his bowling a further step ahead. Before the game, when an ICC broadcaster asked him about his fitness, he brushed the question aside in a huff. His irritation at the mere mention of physical fitness as a precursor to his bowling role was fitting, and then to rise to the occasion thereafter, it was a storyline in itself. Albeit, it was a secondary storyline to Kohli’s on the night.

With Axar Patel getting a lot of stick then, India were on the backfoot having to combine their two spinners for four overs. This is where responsibility lay on Pandya’s shoulders to see through his four overs. And he did so with some style, in his own individual mannerism, plucking away at the Pakistan middle order. In a way, he had carried over from bowling to Kohli in the nets to bowling to the arch-rivals in front of 90,000 roaring fans.

Looking simply at the bowling card won’t tell you the whole story. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami were more economical, and Arshdeep Singh was only a tad bit more expensive than Pandya. But these figures hide the fact that the trio conceded 43 runs in the last four overs alone. It is why Pandya’s 3-30 in the middle overs becomes the centrepoint of India’s attack on the night.

Sunday though wasn’t just about his bowling. While he had played a significant holding role with the ball, the greater input was yet to come. For starters, it didn’t make any sense that Axar Patel was sent ahead at number five in a 160-run chase when India was struggling at 26-3. It was just a left-right combination ploy, and while it lacked in-game acumen, that is a topic for another day.

For now, it suffices to say that at 31-4 in 6.1 overs, India didn’t seem like winning the chase. In fact, Kohli himself went on to admit later on that he didn’t seem to be doing justice to the Indian chase in those initial overs. Enter Pandya – for the second time on the same day, he was the glue that held India’s proceedings together. Yes, Kohli finished the game and won the plaudits. But it wouldn’t have been possible without Pandya’s support role.

Isn’t that the very essence of a star-studded show? There is always the lead role, but the act doesn’t come together unless the support cast puts in a shift. And that’s what Pandya did on the night – his input was vital in that 113-run 78-ball partnership. More than that, it was on his coaxing that Kohli found the strength, and the will, to fight it out until the very end.

“Hardik believed we could do it, if only we stayed till the end,” said Kohli afterwards.

While Pakistan was content with playing cat and mouse with spin, it was Pandya who bore the responsibility of the attack. Only it didn’t come off at the very end, and was left for Kohli to close out the game. There were other moments – wherein Kohli was in search of additional runs, but Pandya didn’t have it in him to run harder. This was owing to a blow he had suffered on the knee whilst batting in the nets on Saturday.

It was a tremendous passage of net session, when Pandya had suffered that hit. A collective gasp went from those watching, even as Shardul Thakur (the bowler) and a couple other support staff ran to hold him. Pandya winced in pain a bit, but then batted with ease and participated in fielding drills. A collective sigh of relief went through thereafter, most of all on Thakur’s face.

Just that moment alone signified the value Pandya brings to this side. While India is indebted to Kohli for this jubilant win, and is dependent on others to provide further fireworks ahead, it is Pandya who holds the team together with his all-round skill. He is India’s MVP in this World Cup.

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