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STUMP VISION NOVEMBER 06, 2026 | The Indian Eye 44

India has 1.4 billion people,

where is the next Hardik Pandya?

In T20Is, Pandya has 2,288 runs at a 145.92 strike rate and 114 wickets. In ODIs, he

has 1,904 runs alongside 91 wickets. Bowling above 135 kmph, his T20I bowling average

improves to 22.60 in wins

The victory proved how well Pandya
and Bumrah work together in the
tensest moments.
The biggest obstacle Pandya
faces, however, is his own body. Fast
bowling puts huge stress on the lower
back, hips, and legs, while aggressive
power-hitting demands heavy physi-
cal effort. Over the years, Pandya has
suffered a serious back stress fracture,
underwent spinal surgery in 2019,
and missed most of the 2023 ODI
ARCHAN MEHTA World Cup after hurting his ankle.
Even recently, back spasms and mus-
odern white-ball cricket is cle strains have troubled him. India
decided by tiny margins. Of- cannot treat him like a regular play-
Mten, the difference between er who can bowl full spells in every
winning a World Cup and going home bilateral match. His workload must
early comes down to team balance. be handled carefully, keeping major
For India, Hardik Pandya is the play- ICC tournaments as the top priority.
er who creates that balance. He is not India’s search for a replace-
just a hard-hitting batter or a backup ment shows how rare his skills are.
bowler; he is the rare cricketer who Young players like Nitish Kumar
allows India to play five top-line bowl- Reddy, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma,
ers while still keeping a deep batting and Naman Dhir all bring useful
order. Fast-bowling all-rounders are strengths, whether it is hitting spin
extremely hard to find, and Pandya’s or bowling steady overs. But none of
ability to finish games, bowl at good them currently offer Pandya’s com-
speed, and stay calm under pres- plete package of real pace, death-
sure makes him one of India’s most over composure, and elite finishing.
valuable players. However, his long As cricket great Sunil Gavaskar has
list of injuries has repeatedly shown pointed out, adding batting depth
just how hard it is to replace him. must not come at the expense of
His career statistics highlight his bowling quality. Using multiple
impact. In T20Is, Pandya has 2,288 part-time players to cover for one
runs at a 145.92 strike rate and 114 The biggest obstacle Pandya faces, however, is his own body. all-rounder often weakens the side.
wickets. In ODIs, he has 1,904 runs Fast bowling puts huge stress on the lower back, hips, and legs, while aggressive power- Moving forward, India need two
alongside 91 wickets. Bowling above clear paths. First, they must protect
135 kmph, his T20I bowling average hitting demands heavy physical effort (ANI photo) Pandya through regular rest and se-
improves to 22.60 in wins. Averaging lective match play, using his full four
nearly 59 against Australia, Pandya’s the opposition starts scoring freely. from the last 30 balls with six wickets overs in T20s while keeping his ODI
performances directly drive Indian Pandya solves both problems at once. in hand, and Heinrich Klaasen was bowling to short, high-impact spells.
victories. With him in the side, India can play hitting everything out of the middle. Second, they must keep giving young
This all-round skill completely two frontline fast bowlers, two quali- After Jasprit Bumrah bowled a tight all-rounders enough chances to grow
changes how India pick their playing ty spinners, and still have a strong six- 16th over, Pandya stepped up to dis- into reliable international players.
XI. Without Pandya, the team fac- man bowling attack without losing miss Klaasen on the first ball of the Until an equal replacement emerges,
es an uncomfortable choice. If they any batting power. Remove him, and 17th.Bumrah then bowled Marco India’s white-ball hopes will remain
pick five specialist bowlers, the bat- the team loses the freedom to pick Jansen, leaving Pandya to defend closely tied to keeping Hardik Pan-
ting lineup looks weak and the tail their best lineup. 16 runs in the final over. He kept his dya fit and ready.
starts too early at number eight. If The clearest proof of his value cool, had David Miller caught bril-
they choose an extra batter instead, came in the 2024 T20 World Cup liantly on the boundary on the first Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated to
the bowling attack lacks teeth, leav- final against South Africa in Barba- delivery, and closed out a historic telling compelling stories about ath-
ing the captain short of options when dos. South Africa needed just 30 runs seven-run win to finish with 3 for 20. letes, teams, and the world of cricket.

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