Hardik Pandya, India, Test Debut
Hardik Pandya made his Test debut on June 26, 2017 against Sri Lanka at Galle for Indi. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Team India might have begun their tour of South Africa on a losing note, but they have quite a few positives to take from the opening Test which they eventually lost by 72 runs to surrender a 1-0 lead to the hosts. Former India all-rounder who was an integral part of the 1983 World Cup winning squad and won the Man of the Match Award Mohinder Amarnath has picked Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah among the future Test stars in the making who should do wonders for India in the near future.

It was a sensational counter-attacking 93 of 95 deliveries which helped India recover from a horrendous situation of 92/7 in reply to a competitive total of 286 by the hosts in the 1st innings. India managed to get within 77 runs of the South African total only due to the innings of Pandya and the partnership he shared with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the 8th wicket.

Amarnath was pretty impressed with how Pandya approached his innings and backed him to go by his instincts and play the attacking way which is his strength. He also emphasized on promoting him up the order which might push the oppositions on the backfoot.

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Hardik Pandya Harbhajan Singh
Indian batsman Hardik Pandya raises his bat as he celebrates scoring a half century (50 runs) during the second day of the first Test cricket match between South Africa and India at Newlands cricket ground on January 6, 2018, in Cape Town, South Africa. / AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA (Photo credit should read GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images)

“Pandya should keep playing the way he did in the first innings [of 1st Test],” Amarnath wrote in his column for the Times of India. “He loves hitting the ball and that’s the way to go. He also should bat higher as he can take the attack to the opposition. India need to show more guts against pace bowling and need someone at the top to come through.”

Jasprit Bumrah who made his debut in the longest format during the opening Test at the Newlands impressed with his sensational line and length and pace and the highlight of his bowling during the Test was the dismissal of the opponent skipper Faf du Plessis in the 2nd essay with a sensational delivery which rose sharply and took the glove of du Plessis from a full length area. He returned with match figures of 4/112 and impressed all and sundry.

“Bumrah’s inclusion in this format is a good sign for India,” Amarnath, who scored 4378 runs in 69 Tests for India, wrote. “Now they have a lot of variation as far as bowling is concerned whenever the team plays overseas.”

Amarnath further mentioned that India’s below-par performance with the bat proved to be the reason behind their downfall.

“Actually, it was amazing — I’ve never seen the ball beat the bat so often as when India were batting. In both innings! That shows it’s not just about technique but you have to play aggressively as well,” he said.

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