The all-rounder last took the field for the Asia Cup in September.
It might be time for the Men in Blue to create some room in the squad for the shortest format of the game. All-rounder Hardik Pandya is on the cusp of making a return to international cricket. The Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper was away from the game after September due to the injury to his left quadricep. However, Hardik has made significant progress in terms of his recovery and is expected to make a return to competitive cricket.
The 32-year-old will return to competitive cricket via the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), and will represent his domestic side Baroda in two fixtures, which are to be played on December 2 and 4 respectively. Selector Pragyan Ojha is expected to be at the venue to watch the game, and will also track Hardik’s progress to ascertain if he is match fit.
The news about Hardik Pandya marking his comeback to the Indian T20I setup comes at a time when the management are very close to announcing the squad for the five-match T20I series against the South Africans. The Men in Blue are currently on the cusp of playing the second ODI at Raipur, after having survived a scare in Ranchi in the first ODI.
Hardik’s return to the side in the shortest format will add a lot of stability to the side down the order. With the T20 World Cup to be played in a few weeks time, it would be crucial for Suryakumar Yadav and his men to put up some good performances ahead of the mega-event. The series against South Africa would be paramount to have a crack towards deciding India’s best T20I XI.
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Hardik Pandya’s return to the T20I scheme of things just a couple of months before the T20 World Cup would be a tremendous boost the India’s preparations. The right-handed all-rounder possesses the skills to take Indian over the finishing line with the bat, and can also bowl his complete quota of overs in almost every game. On many occasions, Hardik Pandya is entrusted with the responsibility of taking the new ball, and has delivered the results.
The Blues are coming off a good series win against the Australians Down Under. While the team looks very settled, it looks like Washington Sundar will have to make way for Hardik to come in. The all-rounder from Tamil Nadu was completely underutilised in the series against Australia, raising concerns over his role in the side. With Hardik Pandya coming into the side, the team would have two spinners in Varun Chakravarthy and one of Axar Patel or Kuldeep Yadav – which would suffice.
With the top-order set for the Indians, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are expected to open the batting. However, here’s the catch! The Indians no longer have a fixated batting order, and have developed the tendency to keep changing the batting order as per the situation. If skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma continue to bat at No.3 and No.4, then Hardik Pandya would come in at five.
With the likes of Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma already in the mix towards the later stages of the innings, it would be good for Hardik to spend some time in the middle which would help him to ascertain the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch. To add to that, the all-rounder from Baroda can also replace Shivam Dube, given that the World Cup would be played on Indian soil. The Indians would like to have another spinner in their ranks.
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