Former Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson feels that it is high time that Hardik Pandya donned the whites again for India and also had a word of advice for struggling India opener KL Rahul whom he admires. Watson has praised Hardik as a “special talent in world cricket” and feels that if his body permits the rigours of the longest format of the game, he must try to return to playing tests as soon as possible.
Hardik has been struggling with injuries for almost 5 years now with his back being the main problem. It has kept him on and off the field. Even once he had to keep himself from bowling and played as a batter despite being an allrounder to relieve his back. Though he is in regular contention for a spot in the limited overs side, he has not played the longest format since 2018.
Here is what Shane Watson had to say about Hardik Pandya
The lack of his services is felt more when India travel abroad where both batting and the bowling departments need to be bolstered. Watson while speaking about whether Hardik should be playing tests said,“If his body can handle the rigours of Test cricket then absolutely. He has got incredible skills even with his batting alone. He has got a very very sound batting technique. Yes, he is a power-hitter of the ball but everyone has seen him move up the batting order in T20 cricket, batting at No.4 for Gujarat Lions. Even in ODIs, he is not just a power-hitter. So from just batting perspective, he has got the game to perform in Test cricket,”.
“Bowling wise, if he is fit he charges in and he has got great skill. He can swing the brand new ball away and he would provide a huge impact for the Indian Test team. For me it eventually comes down to his body and whether it can handle the rigours of playing Test cricket as a fast-bowling all-rounder. I would love to see him push the limits as an all-rounder and cricketer when it comes to playing all formats of the game because he is one of the special talents in world cricket.”
For KL Rahul, who he admires, Watson left a powerful message. KL Rahul’s spot in the playing 11 has been put into further doubt after the ton by Shubman Gill. But Watson feels that KL Rahul faced tougher pitches than Gill earlier in the series where he couldn’t do much. Speaking on Rahul’s qualities, he said, “I am a huge fan of Rahul. I love the way he plays. Beautiful to watch. The biggest thing is that let that pressure go and take the ball as it comes because he has got immense skill and can take on and take down and defend the best balls in the world in all conditions. So that will be a big learning for him,”.
