Hardik Pandya after England- A lull before the storm?

When Hardik Pandya hammered 108 runs off his blade in his 3rd Test match, his first Test century, against Sri Lanka last year, he was lauded as well as critiqued because his 108 runs comprised of 8 boundaries and 7 sixes in 96 deliveries. There was a division among fanbase and experts; some appreciated the knock while some roared that it was not a T20 game and rather a Test match and he should have played sensibly because the team needed a mature knock down the order.

However, when Pandya took India from 92/7 in the 1st Test against South Africa earlier this year, to a score of 209 with a terrific knock of 93 off 95 balls, the earlier division of opinions lost its phase and cricket fanatics wondered if it was about time the Indian cricket found an all-rounder every team craves for, an all-rounder that is suitable across all formats.

With his tattoos and style quotient, Pandya embodies the charisma and swagger of a modern-day Indian cricketer, who could change the momentum of an opposition with the ball, much like he did against England with a splendid 5-wicket haul and on some occasions, rescue his team from batting troubles with sublime strokeplay, much like he did against South Africa.

After the match, his Test career looked something like this:

Pandya's stats after 4 matches

Crucial wickets, 1 century and 2 half-centuries in 5 innings. This led to comparisons with Kapil Dev which was simply naive and wrong, considering that this was his only his 4th Test.

Fast forward nine months and Pandya would be dropped for the 5th Test in England. After a fine start in South Africa, the rest of the South Africa tour and then the England tour mostly ended up not being what he would have hoped for. Sure, there were a few moments of glory like his maiden 5-wicket haul but most of the time he failed to deliver at a level the team expected him to. Mostly in the times of need.

Fans were fuming. His social media handles were full of angry notes that suggested him to focus on becoming a model instead of being a cricketer given his flashy lifestyle. His ability to be a quality Test cricketer was questioned.

Here are his numbers in England Tests:

Pandya's performance in England

Sure, the stats don't look so convincing per se but a closer look at his performances shows that he has delivered to an extent that is on a scale of "good to work with". In the 1st Test, he supported Virat Kohli with a small but vital partnership though he lost his wicket when the pressure was on him to play a calm knock and help India over the line. He made an unbeaten half-century in the 3rd Test match when the team began to collapse from one end after the departure of Kohli.

In the 2nd Test, he took crucial wickets of Ollie Pope, Sam Curran and Johnny Bairstow when the strike bowlers couldn't. In England's 1st innings of the 3rd Test, he bowled a 6-over spell of 28/5 and helped India restrict England to 161. Sure, he failed to deliver at crucial moments but it won't be fair to state that he didn't at all.

Pandya celebrating his maiden 5-wicket haul

An unbeaten 50 and a 5-wicket haul in a single match speaks volume for his capabilities as an effective all-rounder. It is just that with only 11 Test matches in his kitty, he is fairly new to Test cricket realm and currently is not playing at the level that could lead to a big victory in away series.

It was good to see that he was given a break after the 4th Test. Pandya has been playing a lot of cricket lately- from South Africa tour to Nidahas Trophy and from IPL to England tour, which has been an incredibly exhausting season for the youngster, especially for an all-rounder who enters a field with an added pressure of doing double duty.

Ask the legendary Michael Holding. He'll advise you not to play a lot of consistent across-format cricket if you want to deliver to the best of your abilities. Pandya is quite promising a talent that needs to be nurtured and managed properly. By resting him, a long-term management can be ensured which is why the management replaced him with Hanuma Vihari in the last match.

Speaking of Vihari, he did start well. He scored a good fifty on debut and took the wickets of Joe Root and Alastair Cook with a traditional off-break style of bowling but he has a lot to prove as a batting all-rounder down the order. Pandya has delivered quite well as a batting all-rounder at the number 6 spot in shorter formats.

Hardik is a match-winner in shorter formats but not quite there in Test cricket

Time will tell about Vihari's abilities on the international level but meanwhile, India's next Test challenge is a tough one. It's Australia in Australia. The Indian Test team has a lot of pressure to win such a big away series and it will require 11 of the best cricketers the nation has.

Pandya certainly brings a sense of balance in the team. It's too soon to predict about Vihari's inclusion in the tour of Australia but Pandya is the one that the team wants in perfect health and form.

Whether Hardik Pandya gets at his 100% before the Australia tour is yet to be determined, but the youngster has a long career in front of him and enough calibre to do justice with it. Whether he fulfills his potential and delivers at the level India expects is the primary question whose answer lies in the future.