He might have mellowed down a bit, but Hardik Pandya has still not lost the uncanny ability to spring a surprise. When the new ball was thrown at him by captain MS Dhoni after he won the toss and decided to bowl first; it was thanks to the marked improvement Pandya had shown, which was reflected in the nets sessions. Left out of the team for his erratic bowling after the ICC World T20, a rejuvenated Pandya on Sunday turned the corner on his ODI debut. His 7-0-31-3 in the opening match of the Paytm ODI series against New Zealand fetched him the Man of the Match award, even pipping Virat Kohliās classy unbeaten 85 off 81 balls.
Opening the bowling for the first time in his international career, Pandya was under the spotlight. On his T20I debut, he had taken 11 balls to complete his first over. It included five wides, plus a six and a four. At Dharamsala, of the first three balls he bowled, two had raced away to the boundary. But they were off edges. The fifth ball was again a boundary. Before the memories of the forgettable first over could rush back, Pandya struck on the final ball as Guptill was caught by Rohit Sharma at second slip. This time Pandya didnāt panic. He stuck to his line and was rewarded.
āThe ball was doing a lot; it was swinging. I knew if I put it in the right spots, something would happen. Two balls went for fours, but I had backed myself that something will happen. The captain was always supporting me. He didn't tell me anything that could have made me nervous. I wanted him (Guptill) to drive and eventually got him caught in the slips.ā
With a wicket in his first over, Pandya went on to claim two more. He had Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi dismissed for single-digit scores. āIt was definitely a dream debut. I feel quite lucky to represent India in ODIs. This was the best thing I could have got. Somehow, in the nets, I felt I was going to make my debut, but still had some nervousness whether I will get to play or not.ā
Once it was certain that Pandya was going to be the 215th player to represent India in ODIs, there was no looking back. Before the toss, the ODI cap was presented to him by former India captain Kapil Dev. Incidentally, the Indian legend too had made his debut 38 years ago on the same day. āI will cherish this for a long time. Someone like Kapil Dev gave me my ODI cap. The feeling is quite amazing. He made his Test debut on the same day, so I am very happy,ā the ecstatic youngster said.
While he bowled lines generally seen in Test cricket, something that would have delighted Kapil Dev, a standout feature of his bowling was the speeds he generated. Pandya bowled a couple of balls in excess of 140 kph and his average speed was 138.7 kph. āHonestly, I was not looking to bowl 140s, but was looking to pitch in the right areas. It is pretty good that I am bowling quick. I am now getting used to bowling in the 140s.ā
Dhoni too added that it was the addition in pace that made the team management open the bowling with him. āOur thinking was to use him as one of the three seamers. He is quite deceptive. He can bowl quick and he has got movement. He can swing even on wickets where other bowlers don't get that kind of swing.ā
He may still look lean, but by his own admission, he has got stronger than before, which has helped him bowl fast. āAs a fast bowler, as an all-rounder, you got to be very fit. I definitely wanted to get stronger and I felt the only aspect that would help my bowling was my fitness. I worked hard for two months (after IPL).ā
Having capped off a dream start, Pandya has now put himself in contention for a seamerās slot in the lead-up to the ICC Champions Trophy.
āWe just have eight games before the Champions Trophy. So we would like to see how he (Pandya) reacts under different conditions and situations. How quickly he can adapt to the conditions. If he keeps on performing like what he did today I don't see why we won't pick him as the first of the three fast bowlers,ā the skipper added.
