On Thursday, June 7, India vs Australia World Test Championship (WTC) final got underway. India has two chances to win their first ICC trophy since 2013 after falling to New Zealand in the inaugural final by an eight-wicket margin.
The Indian team has recently experienced fitness issues. Due to injuries, a number of significant players, including Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul, will not participate in the summit match. As a result, athletes like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, and Ajinkya Rahane have been selected for the Indian team.
The Indian team has experienced recent fitness issues. Due to injuries, a number of significant players, including Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and KL Rahul, will not participate in the summit match. As a result, athletes like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, and Ajinkya Rahane have been selected for the Indian team.
Let’s now examine three issues that India might have encountered that a healthy Hardik Pandya could have resolved
1. Current Form
2023’s IPL was not good for Shardul Thakur. He batted 113 runs in 10 innings, averaging 14 points and striking out 161 times. He did not perform particularly well, save for a half-century.
His economy rate was 10 point 47 and he only managed to take seven wickets in nine innings while bowling. Therefore, Thakur’s recent performance does not give a reason for optimism.
In contrast, Pandya successfully guided GT to their second consecutive final with 346 runs in 15 innings at an average of 31 points and a strike rate of 136 points.
He reportedly didn’t bowl much because of fitness problems, but in more recent years, such as the T20 World Cup, Pandya has been a revelation with the ball and can easily hit 140 kmph. So, had Pandya been healthy, the Indian team would have benefited greatly from his presence.
2. He bowls well in English conditions
Shardul Thakur’s bowling does not work as well in English conditions as Hardik Pandya’s does. On Day 1, the grass on the Oval pitch was in reasonable condition.
Thakur is a bowler who heavily depends on the wicket’s bounce. Swing bowlers are more effective on these pitches, even though England’s conditions typically offer good bounce.
Pandya is the kind of bowler who improves when there is some swing in the conditions. Pandya’s lone wicket came in England during the third Test in 2018. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow were two of the top English batters that Pandya dismissed during that spell.
Pandya did well with the ball during the most recent T20 World Cup as well, especially when the conditions favored the pacers. He is more technically proficient with the bat than Thakur is, which makes him more appropriate for English conditions.
3. Performs admirably for India in games under pressure
Hardik Pandya has excelled for India in recent years in games with a lot of pressure, such as knockout rounds. India was in serious trouble at 54/5 in 13.3 overs of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy Final against Pakistan as they were trying to chase down a target of 339.
After that, Hardik Pandya (76 runs off 43 balls) scored a fantastic half-century to raise the Indian score to a respectable level.
Their recent performances against England in the ICC World T20 semi-final and against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup match demonstrated that he is a player for big moments.
A player who consistently puts in spectacular performances in important ICC matches, like Shane Watson or Gautam Gambhir, has not been present for India.
With his exceptional track record in high-stress situations, Hardik Pandya might have provided India with the crucial X-factor. His presence could have greatly improved India’s chances in the current WTC final.
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