Marcus Stoinis Or Hardik Pandya? Matthew Hayden Picks Better Allrounder

With India and Australia all set to resume their in limited-overs format, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has set the tone for a good contest by comparing two allrounders – Hardik Pandya and Marcus Stoinis.

Pandya has been tipped to end India’s long wait for a good pace-bowling allrounder and so far he has done promisingly. While consistency has been his nemesis so far but time and again Pandya has shown he has the talent to deliver at the highest stage of the game. Whether it was his knock in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, the 93-run knock in the Cape Town Test or the match-winning contribution with both bat and ball in the third Test against England, Pandya has given enough proofs of his talent.

Stoinis, on the other hand, is fast emerging as one of Australia’s best players. He was one of their top-performers last year in ODIs.  He finished 2018 as Australia’s third-top run-scorer with 376 runs, scoring four fifties with a top score of 87. He was also Australia’s leading ODI wicket-taker, picking up 13 wickets. Recently, he bagged the Australian ODI player of the year award.

But despite Stoinis yet to achieve anything big on international circuit, Matthew Hayden believes he is better than Hardik Pandya.

“Marcus Stoinis is developing into a world-class all-rounder. He is unlucky not to be playing a little bit more Test cricket. He has quality in his play, although Hardik is also a fine player,”  Matthew Hayden told Star Sports.

“Stoinis has adopted a wider approach to his game which is winning matches for his country. Hardik Pandya also has the same responsibility, but I think right now Stoinis is a better player,” Matthew Hayden added.

India will play two two T20Is and five ODIs against Australia. The series will begin with a T20I on February 24. After the two T20Is, the five-match ODI series will begin on March 2 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium (Jamtha) in Nagpur will host the second ODI on the 5th.

The third ODI will take place at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on March 8. The Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will host the penultimate ODI on the 10th. The series will conclude with the final ODI at the iconic Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on 13 March.