The current Indian team is full of match winners from top to bottom. In fact, there is so much depth in Indian cricket that even a second-row team is capable of beating the opposition’s first playing XI. Deepak Hooda, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, who usually find it difficult to find a place in the Indian XI due to the presence of established stars, are presenting a case for themselves so that when the time comes for new guards to pick up, the transition is smooth.
But there is still some time for the seniors to arrive. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja etc are going to be a part of the Indian team at least till the 2023 World Cup, and want to end India’s ICC trophy drought. Apart from these top four stars, another player who has come back as an integral part of the unit is Hardik Pandya.
Since his return from injury, the India all-rounder has been performing better than ever, picking up wickets, scoring runs and taking catches. Australia pace legend Glenn McGrath believes that a useful player like Pandya is an asset to any team. McGrath heaped praise on Hardik Pandya, calling him a ‘two in one’ player and believes that Pandya’s impressive all-round skills have made him a force to be reckoned with.
“Cricket is a game of very confidence. Hardik is a very confident player. If he is bowling well, it has a positive effect on his batting. He is two players in one. He is a luxury. He is a good, An intelligent bowler and a powerful hitter. He has a good game plan.”
Talking about the future of ODI cricket, McGrath admitted that given the growing popularity of T20Is, the 50-over format is indeed facing a challenge to stay relevant. The former Australian fast bowler said that though his favorite format is Test cricket, steps should be taken to keep ODI cricket exciting.
“I’m very traditionalist. I love Tests, I love my ODIs. Test cricket is to last for me. I hope it’s preserved and still held in high esteem. For ODIs, it’s still exciting As they are scoring runs. It is interesting to see the future (of ODIs) and it is interesting to see where it goes. They have to keep making it (ODIs) exciting. They have got some challenges,” he said.