Virat Kohli reveals Ravi Shastri's role in Hardik Pandya's promotion in Indore ODI
Indore: Hardik Pandya is rapidly becoming a buzzword in Indian cricket. The Baroda all-rounder, who scored a breathtaking 88 in the first India versus Australia ODI in Chennai last Sunday, once again came to the party and scored 78 off 72 balls and scalped a wicket as Virat Kohli and Co won the Indore ODI on Sunday to clinch the five-match ODI series against Australia.
Read: 3 talking points: Aaron Finch, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma-Australia love story
Hardik, who generally bats in the lower middle-order, was promoted to number four – ahead of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni – in the third ODI and the 23-year-old all-rounder made the most of his opportunity and won the Man of the Match award.
Pandya, who joined skipper Kohli in the middle following Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal, wasted no time to get going and took some special liking for the Australian left-arm spinner Ashton Agar. Pandya’s blitz denied Australia a chance to make comeback in the match after the top three – Rohit Sharma, Rahane and Kohli – got out in quick succession. While many expected Pandey or Jadhav batting at number, Pandya’s arrival was not expected. However, the move did wonders.
Kohli, during the post-match presentation, revealed that it was Team India head coach Ravi Shastri’s plan to promote Pandya.
"I'm really, really satisfied with the win. He (Pandya) is a star, has the ability with the ball, bat and the field. We need a guy like that, we've been missing an explosive all- rounder. He is a great asset for Indian cricket," Kohli said.
"The idea behind his promotion was Ravi (Shastri) bhai, to attack the spinner," added Kohli.
Pandya, meanwhile, revealed he was not surprised with the promotion and treated it as an opportunity.
"It feels pretty good but I would like to finish the game next time. I don't need to be surprised. It is important to back myself and saw it as an opportunity," said Pandya.
"I wanted to target the left-arm spinner (Ashton Agar). When I got a few sixes, I knew I could take some time," concluded Pandya.
