Virat Kohli loves Hardik Pandya's attitude, says Shaun Pollock
The former South African skipper feels Kohli will give Pandya a long rope.
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The Indian cricket team has performed exceptionally well to win their first ever bilateral series in South Africa. Some clinical performances from all the departments ensured India won the series quite comfortably. However, the middle order has been a major concern for India this series. The middle order failed to score quick runs towards the end of the innings, which is also cited as a reason for the loss in the 4th ODI.
More than anything else, the form of Hardik Pandya with the bat is proving a big headache for the management. Hardik has been miserable with the bat in the South African tour barring a score of 93 in the first Test. Former skipper Kapil Dev too lashed out at him earlier for his silly mistakes. He was promoted up the order in the ODI series but failed to create any impact.
Kohli will give Hardik Pandya a long run
Shaun Pollock believes Virat Kohli sees a bit of himself in Hardik Pandya and hence the latter will get a long run in the team to cement his spot in the Indian side. “I clearly get the impression that Virat Kohli loves Hardik Pandya’s attitude. It’s very similar to the way Kohli plays his cricket. And because he loves that attitude there is a good chance that Pandya will get a long run in the side, to settle himself and cement his spot in the team,” Pollock said as quoted by TOI.
Pollock further added, “That’s the nature of cricket if the captain likes the way a player goes about his business then that player will get an extra run (of opportunities)”. Pollock further added that Pandya is learning quickly and said he was impressed with his knock in Cape Town Test.
Pandya will learn with experience
“I liked Pandya’s attitude and approach in the Cape Town Test, the way he played that knock, and he is learning. He will be ultra positive in Indian conditions where he can take on the spinners. A lot of people have got potential, but to take that to the next level is always the key. He will learn the art of what he needs to do in England and Australia. He still needs to find how he wants to play, mix his aggression with sound technique and if he can get himself in for a period of time then I am sure he can learn,” Pollock remarked.
Shaun also looked highly impressed with Chahal and Kuldeep’s performances. But he noted that India needs to identify if two wrist spinners are enough to carry the team alone through a long tournament like the World Cup. “I think that’s the challenge for India. They need to work out whether those two can be relied upon to go all the way through in a big tournament,” he said.
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