The premier all-rounder of the Indian team, Hardik Pandya, has been a vital member of the Blue Brigade and contributed highly during their victorious campaign in the last T20 World Cup 2024 when he bowled the final under pressure and guided the team over the line against South Africa at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
However, the prior three months hadn’t been easy on Hardik Pandya. He returned to the Mumbai Indians team in the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, replaced their most successful captain, Rohit Sharma, and was belted away by his fans during the period.
The Gujarat-born couldn’t perform much with the bat and hardly bowled throughout the campaign, as questions started to arise on his fitness level. The team didn’t perform well, as they ended the season with a wooden spoon.
“Hardik Pandya can handle pressure situations”- Jonty Rhodes
The fielding coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) of their short history of three seasons in the IPL, Jonty Rhodes has praised the premier all-rounder of India and reckoned how important he becomes especially when he starts to bat and bowl at full pace.
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Hardik Pandya struggled to collect 216 runs in 13 innings of the IPL 2024 at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143.04, with a best score of 44, besides picking up 11 scalps in 12 innings at an economy rate of 10.75.
“Hardik Pandya has certainly been important in any team when he is bowling well and at a full pace and obviously when he is batting. We know what he does with the bat, we have seen him batting up the order, down the order, and certainly has an impact at wherever he plays.” Jonty expressed this in an interaction with the ‘Sports Yaari’ YouTube channel.
“But, he also is kind of a guy, who has been picked as an all-rounder, and been there as an all-rounder. So, if he doesn’t bowl at full pace, you always feel you haven’t got the best of Hardik Pandya and his worth in the team and he has shown it.” The veteran shaded light.
Rhodes also mentioned that it would become so vital for the bowlers to have a partnership with the ball, and Hardik Pandya did the role quite brilliantly in the last T20 World Cup of holding the pressure for a long time.
“It’s difficult for me to know how much pain he was in during that past. You know, was he bowling at full pace, could he do that? And he is a kind of a guy, and the key with cricket is about partnership and you always talk about batting partnership, but bowling in partnerships is always so crucial.” The LSG coach addressed this in the same conversation.
The Natal-born has also touched on how making a comeback from such hard times to do well for India in a few weeks shows the string mentality of Hardik Pandya.
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“If Jasprit Bumrah has bowled a superb over, and the next over has gone for runs, then the good over was for nothing. So, Hardik Pandya had a tough IPL and if not anything, it just boosted and strengthened him emotionally and mentally.” The 55-year-old told.
“It might have drained him by the end of it, but it shows he can certainly handle pressure situations because he was under a lot of pressure in the IPL. If anything, you know, the tough time he had for the Mumbai Indians, possibly helped him at the end.” Jonty Rhodes concluded.
It will be interesting to see if the Mumbai Indians management decides to retain Hardik Pandya and continue with him as the leader of the side.