The All-India senior selection committee announced the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, where Rohit Sharma is set to lead India’s side in the tournament while Hardik is named as his deputy.
Madan Lal hails Hardik Pandya on retaining Vice-captain
The all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been underperforming in recent days but the former player Madan Lal recalls the player’s potential and says his batting form needs to flourish new.
Madan Lal recalls Hardik’s impressive performance in the final of the champions trophy in 2017 against Pakistan where he scored 76 runs hitting sixes against Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman.
He has scored a century on 86 deliveries in the Test match against Sri Lanka on August 12, 2017, and also remembers his 63-run score on 33 balls keeping a strike rate of nearly 200 against England in last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final. Hardik Pandya becomes the fastest Indian to score 100 sixes in IPL.
Madan Lal claims that Pandya had struck fear among bowlers, but it become more elusive in recent times. Recently he had a knock of 70 runs off 52 deliveries with five sixes in the 3rd ODI against West Indies where India won by 200 runs.
Hardik Pandya was known as Rohit Sharma’s successor. But his decision-making in the ODI series didn’t live up to the mark and failed to make the necessary impression.
Despite his captaincy failure in the WI tour, the team management and BCCI were clear on retaining Hardik Pandya as India’s VC for the Asia Cup. BCCI trusts on Hardik to take over responsibility after Rohit Sharma stepped aside from captaincy.
Many experts have been surprised by this call, but Madan Lal backed Hardik Pandya saying his batting potential should be drawn as his batting form needs to flourish in a new way.
“See, he definitely could be the next captain, the way he is going about leading in T20Is. But my concern is not that. Hardik has to perform. He is so talented and has done well, but where is the Hardik Pandya that scored 92 against Australia? That sort of form I want to see Hardik in,” said Madan Lal.
After speaking about players batting, Madan is excited about Hardik bowling at full tilt. Hardik became the first India all-rounder to score a fifty and take 4 wickets in an ODI since Yuvraj Singh in 2011. He is expected to bowl all 10 overs in the Asia Cup.
The Skipper Rohit Sharma will be using him for bowling 5 overs and extending beyond that will be depending upon the situation.
“At the same time, I am very happy that he is bowling. We need him bowling in the World Cup as that sixth bowler. They have given him a very important role and Hardik has to ensure that he does well,” he concluded.
