England vs India 2018: Mitchell Johnson Says It Will Take Time for Hardik Pandya to Evolve as an All-Rounder

Former Australia speedster Mitchell Johnson during an interview with the Times of India spoke on some aspects of the game. He stressed on various topics including the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), a tournament for which is he is currently commentating in. He heaped praise of Hardik Pandya.

Speedster Johnson was part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he became the champion of the franchise twice.

During his tenure in MI, he played with the likes of Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah. When asked about how feels about Pandya and how he has evolved as an all-rounder. Johnson said that becoming a world-class all-rounder doesn’t happen overnight and only time will whether he will become a world-class all-rounder in the future.

“It’s such a hard role, and it takes time to be an allrounder. It doesn’t happen overnight. You are batting, bowling, fielding and have to be switched on all the time. I think Virat understands that well. Pandya is a guy who is extremely competitive and hates to lose. At the same time, he also wants to learn. He is a young man who has got talent and is getting better every day,” Johnson was quoted as saying during his interview with the Times of India.

When asked how does a bowler bowl against a class batsman like Virat Kohli, Johnson said that when you bowl to great bowlers, there is no room to think that they are greats. If one feels like that half of the battle is won by the batsman.

Mitchell Johnson says it is important to think positive when bowling to great batters 

“When you are bowling to class players like Virat or Sachin Tendulkar or Ponting, you have to forget that they are greats and back your skills. Some people get caught in that and once you do that you have no chance really,” he said.

The Asian teams will be competing in the Asia Cup 2018 scheduled to begin later in September. Johnson said it would be a prestigious tournament for all the teams while backing Hardik Pandya.

“It’s an important tournament and teams will want to work on their balance and combinations keeping in mind the World Cup. Teams will also want to give a lot of young guys a chance as well.” He said Pakistan would have an advantage playing majority of their cricket in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Yes, because they will know the conditions well and have the crowd behind them. But it all boils down to the pressure situation and playing those big moments. The former speedster further stated that it is tough to compare the rivalries between India-Pakistan,” he maintained.

 

“The India-Pakistan rivalries are quite intense, and teams are quite fierce. Both teams don’t back down. I think it’s hard to compare other teams’ rivalry. A Pakistan-India series has the same intensity as the Ashes, but it’s hard to compare. Players from both sides must ensure emotions don’t come their way of cricket. It definitely can get a bit heated at times. But the skills of both the teams (India and Pakistan) are quite incredible,” Johnson said.