When the Indian selectors named the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand, quite a few people were puzzled by the inclusion of all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The lad from Baroda was out of the reckoning for the tour of Zimbabwe since he had a dismal IPL for the Mumbai Indians. His performance till the World T20 had been satisfactory, though, as he did a decent job being the fifth bowling and offered flexibility to Indian skipper MS Dhoni with his bowling options.
All-rounder made his ODI debut at Dharamshala and definitely had a game to remember. After being hit for three boundaries in his very first over, Pandya came back strongly to get rid of Martin Guptill with a good delivery that seamed into the right hander. That was followed by the wicket of Corey Anderson who was caught brilliantly by Umesh Yadav. The wicket of Luke Ronchi was another bonus, as he registered the best bowling figures by an Indian pacer on ODI debut.
In the mid-innings break, Pandya revealed that the stint he had with India A, on the tour of Australia had helped him quite a bit and that was the reason behind his improved performance. “It felt pretty nice,” Pandya said. “After the World Cup, getting back into the blue is very nice. Definitely, Australia helped me a lot. I learned a lot of things there, improved there as well. I was bowling very well, bowled a good 30 overs in Ranji Trophy as well.”
Emphasizing on his fitness, all-rounder said, “I guess, I just got a bit stronger from what I was and that has helped me with the pace. I try to maintain my physique but it is natural.”