The Indian team for the first two Tests of the 5-match series against England was announced today and there were a few changes from the side that played New Zealand recently. While some of the regular faces in the squad have missed out due to injury, a few youngsters have been handed an opportunity of a lifetime.
One of the biggest surprises that the new selection committee has managed to spring, though, is the inclusion of Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the team. The 23-year old, who has been part of India’s limited-overs squads, has been slotted in as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Also Read: India vs England 2016: 5 players who were unlucky to not get selected for the Test series
The decision to include Pandya in the squad for the all-important series against England has resulted in a lot of negativity in social media from fans. Let’s take a look at 5 reasons why Hardik Pandya does not deserve a Test spot
#1 None-too-great performance in limited-overs cricket so far
Hardik Pandya made his T20I debut in January this year and was part of an Indian team which whitewashed Australia 3-0 in their own backyard. Post that, he also took part in the first ever T20 Asia Cup and the 2016 ICC World T20 held in India.
In the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand, Pandya also took his first plunge in the 50-over arena and featured in 4 out of the 5 matches played. Apart from his ‘Man of the Match’ winning bowling spell of 3 for 31 on debut and a fighting 36 in the 2nd ODI, the all-rounder did not do much else.
Pandya’s performance in 16 T20Is, too, hasn’t been great as he hs scored just 78 runs at a poor average of 11.14 and picked 15 wickets at a pretty high economy of over 8. Perhaps his only noteworthy moments have been his 3 for 8 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and a successful last over against Bangladesh in a thrilling World T20 match.
Most Indian limited-overs players who were promoted to the longest format in the past made it through on basis of their strong performance in the shorter versions. However, Hardik Pandya has clearly not done enough in limited-overs cricket to warrant a spot in the Test team.
#2 Not much exposure to first-class cricket
Despite having made his first-class debut for Baroda back in the year 2013, Hardik Pandya has played just 16 matches so far. In fact, he was relatively unknown until he appeared for Mumbai Indians in the 2015 IPL and played a few blistering knocks.
Apart from that, his only claim to fame in domestic cricket has been his performance in the 2016 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. In first-class cricket, though, he has certainly not been a star by any stretch of the imagination with 727 runs at an average of around 28 and 22 wickets up to this point.
A credible first-class background is considered imperative for players willing to break into Test cricket. For someone to be able to skip that step, he needs to be exceptionally talented in at least one department of the game.
However, both these factors seem to be missing in Hardik Pandya’s case somehow, which is why it may not be a great idea to have him in the Test team just yet.
#3 Many more deserving players still waiting in the wings
The selection of Hardik Pandya is even more baffling owing to the fact that there are a number of consistent domestic performers who have been overlooked in the process. Perhaps the most prominent name among the ones who missed out is Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Rishi Dhawan.
Dhawan has easily been the finest seam-bowling all-rounder in the Indian domestic arena with a batting average of over 40 and more than 200 wickets in 55 first-class matches. Although he was handed a few chances in the limited-overs arena, the selectors would have been better off trying the 26-year old in the longer format.
Even Pandya’s Baroda team-mate Irfan Pathan could have been a better bet in Test cricket in terms of being a seam-bowling all-rounder. However, the selectors seemed to reckon that the Mumbai Indians player was the best fit for the role.
#4 Not a specialist in either department
Most top-quality all-rounders that the game has seen over the years have been specialists in one department and have done well at the other. While the likes of Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, and Imran Khan were specialists with the ball, others such as Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis were great batsmen.
From whatever we have seen of Hardik Pandya so far, he does not appear to be a specialist in either of the two departments. Although India’s limited-overs skipper, MS Dhoni, has used the Baroda cricketer primarily in the role of a bowler but he hasn’t exactly been very convincing.
Even as a lower-order batsman, Pandya has been dismissed for single-digit scores on most occasions. Taking all this into consideration, it may be difficult for him to make a transition to the longest format of the game.
#5 May be found wanting against top teams
Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the Test team may have been understandable if he had been picked for a series against Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, for that matter. However, against a quality team like England, who defeated India the last time they came touring, roping in Pandya is certainly not the wisest choice by the selectors.
The Baroda all-rounder’s batting technique has been found wanting on most occasions whereas his bowling can also be short and wayward quite often. These chinks in his armour may not be exposed against weaker opposition but the stronger teams may easily capitalise on them.
As such, Pandya would end up being nothing but a weak link in an otherwise dominant Indian Test team in home conditions.
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