7 Comments
User's avatar
Jon Hotten's avatar

Absolutely agree... like I said, the Bradman of 50 overs...

Expand full comment
Karthik Krishnaswamy's avatar

Also, despite everything I said, there was something supremely calculated about even the most explosive of his early hundreds. In that sense, he was never really a shot-a-ball kind of player.

Expand full comment
Jon Hotten's avatar

Yes, even when he was riding the wave, he knew exactly what had to happen. And on wickets like Dubai, he'll probably be able to do that when he's 80! Just feels like everything else is changing around him now. What did you make of Hardik's effort?!

Expand full comment
Karthik Krishnaswamy's avatar

Only watched the match in bits and pieces, but Hardik's excellence with the ball (when he's fit; always a big caveat with him) is almost taken for granted now. He's got a few different ways of going about his white-ball bowling - he can swing the new ball, he's adept at bowling into the pitch and extracting vagaries of pace and bounce, and he's got good pace variations - and it's such a luxury that where other teams are making up overs from part-timers, India have three proper allrounders at 6, 7 and 8, giving them six genuine bowling options.

Expand full comment
Jon Hotten's avatar

Ah got it - I meant more his going out and slogging when Virat v obviously need the runs to make a hundred, he didn’t look like he was bothered… But then he feathered one down the leg side, so all was well. I rate him very highly as a player. Just a total natural. Tremendouns power with the bat.

Expand full comment
Karthik Krishnaswamy's avatar

Haha, there was a lot of chatter on Indian cricket Twitter about Gautam Gambhir specifically sending Pandya out with the intention of denying Kohli his hundred etc. GG and Kohli have quite a complicated history.

Expand full comment