Life takes strange twists and turns. For Hardik Pandya, a back injury sustained during the Asia Cup 2018 would have helped him find a way to return to international cricket in 2022. India’s exciting all-rounder faced a tough time away from the game he loved, back down during back pain World Cup 2019, the surgery was later done in the UK. It happened to an all-action player to think about his future instead of celebrating wickets and runs.
Far from the action, he wondered whether he would bowl again, batting as before, as the extraordinary power in his slender frame came from core strength when he bounced off the pitch or launched into a big hit. The back muscles and the whipcord wrist helped generate the force. Correcting the course after surgery and rehabilitation last year required a changed approach … to be effective in matchplay without straining the back while bowling or batting.
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Quiet work in the background resulted in the hyperactive all-rounder gradually turning into a controlled, thinking cricketer, both as an artist and as a person, away from the public glare and made a huge impact in 15 matches. IPL 2022. Pandya took wickets by challenging the batsmen to score runs on good balls, attacking with excellent timing. Leading from the front for new champions Gujarat Titans, he took eight wickets and 487 runs.
The T20 series against South Africa will bring him under close scrutiny, as the KL Rahul-led home side expects the all-rounder to continue his IPL form. The Pandya batsman deserves a closer scrutiny to appreciate the change in his approach, driven by circumstances, to score runs without hurting his back. He averaged 44.27 per match in 15 matches, also lifted the trophy and in doing so came across as a capable player with Team India shouldering a great deal of responsibility.
Regarded as a ruthless destroyer of attacks before back surgery, able to get into the position to hit sixes at will, he hit only 12 sixes in IPL 2022 (15 games) apart from 49 fours (see box). Less than a six per game is the strange behavior of a slob, which had its early T20 education with the Mumbai Indians, for the mighty Kieron Pollard as junior partner in the middle order, a prime combination of power, and timing in world cricket. .
During successive campaigns, his ability to hit high and long in the stands passed on to his long-limbed teammate from the West Indies, hitherto adept at reading length quickly and launching terrifying attacks on bowlers. The same Hardik Pandya was seen in the controlled version this time. Like a traditional middle-order batsman from earlier rounds, he leaned into drives, stepped back for the cut or glided on the offside, flicking his hips to the leg side.
Overall, an excellent performance minus the mayhem, risk and toughness to dismiss the bowler, as the South Africans will feel on the track what’s different from their bowlers. Time and placement went up in Pandya’s priority charts instead of audacity and swagger. The back was fine then, the sky was the limit of ambition to hit a hard-hitter bowlers with a sword.
Rehabilitation away from the spotlight accelerated his maturity as a batsman who was ready to play within physical limits, technically and mentally sharp enough to choose effective risk-free batting for the team. Batting at number three for Gujarat Titans, he held the innings together several times, with other stroke-makers chasing the runs faster. team fans India One would expect a repeat performance from a tall player that has matured overnight.
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Intense and upbeat, Pandya remained calm in distress before the surgery to repair his back. The adaptability, as well as acceptance of reality, extended to his personality. The Gujarat Titans management had invested in a player very hungry to prove himself in any format, as well as know how far his body could be stretched. Testing at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru was an assurance that he was on the selectors’ watch list, and performance was to follow.
Leading an IPL franchise gave him the license to take concrete steps towards a comeback, creating maximum opportunities for himself. The captain took his teammates to the pinnacle with him and this newly seen maturity can turn a one-time match winner into a teammate, backed by India captain KL Rahul, head coach Rahul Dravid and selectors to bring balance. will be useful for Squad.
Full of confidence, the all-rounder is fit to bowl and can bat as either an accumulator or a finisher. Skipping the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 for Baroda to focus on rehab and awaiting a health update, the selectors indicated that the 28-year-old is looking to hit a sweet and hungry one as far as international cricket is concerned. can be counted for. Running in the field on his way back from the parachute on the frontline against South Africa.
IPL 2022 run scorers
- Jos Buttler (863 runs in 17 matches, 57.53 average, 83 fours, 45 sixes).
- KL Rahul (616 to 15, 51.53 average, 45×4, 30×6).
- Quinton de Kock (508 to 15, 36.29 average, 47×4, 23×6).
- Hardik Pandya (15 to 487, 44.27 average, 49×4, 12×6).
- Shubman Gill (16 to 483, 34.50 average, 51×4, 11×6).
Pandya has played 54 T20 Internationals for India so far. The World Cup T20 2021 clash against Namibia was his last appearance and he also has 63 ODIs and 11 Test matches to his credit.
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