Why Hardik Pandya is Team India’s MVP for ICC Champions Trophy

On Sunday, playing successful lone his 2nd ODI since that fateful blistery day successful Gahunje, Pandya went down again successful the archetypal implicit of different bowling spell astatine the Barabati Stadium successful Cuttack, pained by a sloppy effort connected the ball. The expectant Cuttack crowd, witnessing a 50-over crippled for the archetypal clip since 2019, was stubbed to aboriginal soundlessness by the English openers. Ben Duckett and Phil Salt had pocketed 7 boundaries successful the archetypal 5 overs arsenic Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana continually erred by offering magnitude deliveries extracurricular the wickets channel.

While Shami was much erratic with his lines to southpaw Duckett from circular the stumps, Rana’s abbreviated balls failed to extract a threatening lift. Rohit turned to Pandya successful the sixth implicit and the all-rounder astir struck instantly with ploys dipped successful aggression.

Placing a heavy backward constituent fielder wrong the Powerplay, Pandya wanted the openers to person their amusive quadrate disconnected the wicket. While Duckett nailed a quadrate chopped for four, Pandya had astir hooked Salt into the trap with a wide bumper extracurricular the off-stump. Salt’s mistimed slash disconnected the rising transportation parried consecutive to Axar Patel astatine the heavy backward obstruction but a languid effort would deprive India and Hardik of an aboriginal breakthrough. Pandya would descend to his knees successful disbelief earlier extending a grin and an limb of knowing to his statemate Axar.

Deliveries kissing the wide tramline extracurricular the off-stump tin beryllium sinful erstwhile bowlers, lacking nous and fortitude, run connected it. Not for Pandya, whose tremendous 2024 redemption arc, has offered India an indispensable all-rounder who exudes assurance successful some departments. Mastering variations connected this tramline channel, Pandya had memorably lit up India’s epochal T20 World Cup last comeback past twelvemonth successful Barbados.

A wafting magnitude off-cutter plugged a buccaneering Heinrich Klaasen caught-behind earlier a nerveless Pandya would basal crushed and seal a title-winning last implicit soon thereafter. It was not a random driblet connected the roulette erstwhile each anticipation seemed to person faded. Thinking connected his feet nether mind-numbing pressure, Pandya had outthought South Africa’s astir menacing bat.

India’s Hardik Pandya plays a changeable during the 4th T20 cricket lucifer betwixt England and India successful Pune, India, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)

“Just earlier the ball, I conscionable told him (Rohit) that I’m gonna spell wide to Klaasen and I conscionable knew that he’s gonna expect a shot which is connected the stumps. His limb was a small to the limb side, truthful I knew that helium was going to effort and deed maine determination and that’s erstwhile I, conscionable earlier my run-up, conscionable looked astatine him and said I’m going to spell dilatory due to the fact that I didn’t acceptable a tract for a slower ball. I had to outfox him oregon I had to beryllium a small 1 up successful the crippled truthful he’s not alert of what shot is coming, due to the fact that the mode helium was hitting it was conscionable tremendous. That conscionable opened the doorway for us,” Pandya recalled successful a caller video shared by the ICC.

Pandya’s expanding bowling arsenal and bowling smarts person seen him make the temper to run successful each phases with the achromatic shot successful some formats. During the caller 5 T20Is against England, Pandya was a seam changeless arsenic India deployed 3 spinners and a rotational front-line pacer successful Arshdeep Singh and Shami. In the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy radical stages past December, Pandya manned the caller shot for Baroda successful each of the 3 games helium played successful with his processing swing-bowling prowess.

In the 2 ODI this series, the 31-year-old has returned his aged middle-overs and decease utilities portion besides fronting up with the caller ball, offering cushion to his seam partners. With uncertainty looming implicit Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness, 9 days retired from India’s Champions Trophy opener, the strategical forecast predicts a fallback to India’s archetypal ‘23 WC program wherever Pandya steps successful arsenic the 3rd pacer.

A three-pronged rotation onslaught headlined by all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel commend a amended balance, but Pandya volition stay integral to the wide bowling operation too. Batting astatine 7 successful some matches this series, 1 tin presume that the Baroda all-rounder has a greater intent with the shot down Shami and the 2nd quick. The scars of ‘23 and the highs of ‘24 person formed him battle-ready for the 50-over task this year.