The selection is a young player, the omission of a relatively older one and the question mark over the effectiveness of an allrounder is rather interesting in both the Indian and Australian squads for the limited overs series. This article is about Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
Suryakumar Yadav
There have been lot of noise because of the omission of Suryakumar Yadav from the limited overs side that will be touring Australia in November. He was thought to be someone who will most certainly make the tour. He may not get to play in the eleven but he will be part of the touring squad. Such has been his performance in this season’s IPL. Having witnessed his performance in last night’s IPL game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, it is hard not to think that the selectors have probably made a mistake in not including Yadav in the limited overs squad.
Some of the shots that he played on a slow wicket were absolutely outstanding. The ease with which he played Dale Steyn is another case in point. Here is a batsman who is absolutely comfortable against the best fast bowler over the last 30 years. Admittedly, Steyn is past his best and he is never a great bowler in T20 and moreover the game was played on a slow wicket but he was still bowling at 145KPH and such great bowlers will not be that happy that an unheralded player is able to bat against them with so much time.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Ranji performance
Having said that, where was he all these years? With such talent he must have atleast been in the squad a few years ago. Why hasn’t he been able to go to the next level? A quick look at his first class statistics will reveal that he is quite experienced with more than 70 first class games for his team Mumbai.
This means that he would have been around for more than 8 years. In that time, he hasn’t set the records on fire. He averages around 44 which for an Indian first class player is like averaging in the middle 30s at the international level. Obviously, this record would have gone against him during the Indian team selection over the last 8 years. There isn’t much to write about his List A & T20 records either. It is only when he plays for Mumbai Indians he becomes so consistent that he is able to win games regularly for MI.
Let us hope that he will get to play for the Indian team in the near future.
Cameron Green
On the otherhand, it looks like Australia have unearthed a potential great player in Cameron Green. He has been included in the Australian squad for the limited overs series against India. He seems to be an all-rounder of high potential. It looks like he is having a very good home season with runs and wickets. Alongwith his batting, he is capable of bowling at the 140KMPH mark. It is the hallmark of a genuine all-rounder. This is something every team in the world is currently struggling to fill. England are the only exception with Ben Stokes.
Greg Chappell is all praise for Green
“This is a serious player, this is a special player,”
“He is the best young player I’ve seen since Ricky Ponting. He is our next superstar.
“I’ve been telling anyone who will listen for a couple of years now. I saw him a hit a couple of shots when he was 17 one day and it was obvious he was a batsman.
Greg Chappell is not remembered fondly by the Indians but there is no doubt that he was a great batsman. When such a person says that he finds Green to be as good as Ricky Ponting, that is some serious praise.
Indians always has this habit of giving the newcomer a grand entry into the international scene. Witness Sam Curran in England who was the sole reason England won that series in 2018. Early this year, Kyle Jamieson made the Indian batsman look like idiots on a cricket field. Hence, the Indian team better watch out for Cameron Green as well.
The curious case of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya is coming of a long layoff because of a serious injury. At one stage, he thought that his career has come to an end because the back injury was that serious.
“I genuinely thought that my career is over because I’d never seen anyone being stretchered off. I was knocked out for 10 minutes, after that the pain never went down,” Hadik Pandya said.
Now that he is back, he will add a lot of power to the Indian limited overs team. The problem occurs if he is going to be considered as an all arounder in the Test team. He certainly cannot bowl because the injury requires a longer time to heal. This will mean that he will have to play as a specialist batsman. The Australian wickets are known for high scores and that too at a brisk pace. Hence, 4 bowlers will probably not be enough in the tests.
A fifth bowler or someone who is capable of bowling 10-15 overs a day to give the regular bowlers some rest is very much required. Especially in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane. High scores on these grounds are pretty common. It is the same case with Adelaide as well but since it is a day-night game, the bowlers will be much more potent in Adelaide and 6 batsmen will be required.
Team management’s responsibility
Kohli and Shastri will have to treat Hardik Pandya as a specialist batsman and play him only in Adelaide where with his shots he can take the game away from the Australians. He will not be required to bowl as well. In other grounds, it is better to go with Vihari who can bowl more than 15 overs a day.
Hardik Pandya belongs to the rare breed among Indian cricketers in that he can bowl at brisk pace and can bat really well. He is a genuine allrounder. Kohli and Shastri must not take a chance and play him in all the tests as an allrounder. He is someone who is required to serve the team for a longtime. Hence, it is important to take care of him at the moment.
Other topics on the same subject can be read here, here and here.