The Indian think-tank might have missed a trick when Hardik Pandya flew back home after the conclusion of the limited-over leg of the Australian tour.
Game-changers come rare and the 27-year-old Hardik is one. Hugely influential in the ODIs and T20Is with his visceral batting — his unbeaten 92 in the Canberra ODI also revealed his growing maturity — Hardik could have added value to the Test line-up.
Even if he is able to bowl only a handful of overs, someone such as Hardik could have been an X-factor with his batting alone.
Dangerous customer
The dangerous No. 6 or 7 is one the bowlers are wary of, after denting much of the top and the middle-order.
Hardik could have waded into them with strokes of thunder much like he did when India was reeling at 92 for six in Cape Town during India’s last Test tour of South Africa.
An inspired Hardik tore into the South African pace attack with his blistering 93, surfacing at No. 7. And India reached a combative 209 on a spicy pitch. His unbeaten 52 on a seaming Nottingham surface against England was valuable too.
Even when he is able to bowl little owing to fitness concerns, a case can be made to look at the wiry Hardik as a pure, high-octane lower middle-order batsman who can swing games with his bat-speed, reflexes and an improving defence.
Familiar role
Australians are familiar with someone like Hardik in their Test line-up.
The big and strong Andrew Symonds was initially looked upon as a ODI cricketer but made a name for himself as a Test player with his attacking batsmanship at No. 6 or 7. He would go hard against a tiring bunch of bowlers.
Although he could send down a few overs of off-spin, the Aussies kept Symonds in the Test line-up principally because of his shock value as an explosive batsman. His 156 against old enemy England in the Melbourne Test of 2006 was a resounding, match-winning effort.
And Australia was in trouble at 121 for five when Symonds’ counter-attacking 162 — he rallied with the tail — catapulted the host to 463 at the expense of the Indian attack in Sydney, 2008.
In attitude and spirit, Symonds and Hardik are similar cricketers. Match-winners whom the adversaries fear. The Indians could have kept Hardik in the Test squad down under. Undiluted aggression can scatter game-plans.
