ICC T20 World Cup 2022; 3 Indian All-Rounders Who Are Better Than Hardik Pandya But Are Being Ignored By Selectors
Updated - 10 Oct 2022, 08:14 PM
India’s dynamic all-rounder Hardik Pandya has made a resounding comeback from injury. He led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their maiden season and has been phenomenal with both the bat and ball for the national side too. While it is nearly impossible to surpass Hardik Pandya’s credibility of late, let’s take a look at three all-rounders who are being overlooked by national selectors despite promising performances.
Here is the list of 3 Indian All-Rounders Who Are Better Than Hardik Pandya But Are Being Ignored By Selectors
1. Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer has been doing well in the domestic circuit for a long time now but had to go through another test i.e. the IPL. And Iyer passed this test with flying colours. He was phenomenal for Kolkata Knight Riders and turned their fortunes around in the second leg of IPL 2022. His bowling is yet to be tested, but whatever he has done till now shows that he is a good bowler too.
In the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Iyer amassed 379 runs in 6 games at an average of 63.16 and a strike rate of 133.92. He also took 9 wickets with an economy rate of 5.75. Iyer has been included in the ODI squad for South Africa and his performances there will determine whether he will be a regular in the Indian team or not.
2. Shardul Thakur
Well, Thakur leads the race when it comes to replacing Pandya, especially in Tests. Shardul Thakur has impressed everyone with his performances in overseas Tests. In a very short time, he has developed faith and confidence. Even in the ongoing South Africa series, Shardul Thakur has delivered the goods picking up 3 wickets in two matches.
The 30-year-old has a knack for taking wickets against the run of play which can really help India in the longest format. The Maharashtra-born cricketer has picked 99 wickets and scored 580 runs in a short 59-match international career.
3. Vijay Shankar
The Tamil Nadu cricketer has long been in the race to replace Hardik Pandya but has failed to grab the opportunity. However, he has been around for some time now and knows what it takes to make it into the national side. Plus, he has had a decent run in the domestic circuit recently. He led his team to the Syed Mushtaq Ali finals and won it.
After some decent performances– in the IPL and in domestic white-ball cricket – Vijay Shankar was fast-tracked in the Indian team in March 2018 when he made his T20I debut, and his ODI debut in January 2019 in the all-rounder’s role, despite the presence of Hardik Pandya.
It came a big surprise when Shankar was selected in India’s main squad for the 2019 World Cup, the selectors preferring his “3-D” abilities over batsman Ambati Rayudu. Shankar did well with the ball in the game vs Pakistan and played a couple of more matches – vs West Indies and Afghanistan with little to show with the bat. An injury ruled him out of the World Cup.
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Hardik Pandya India National Cricket Team Shardul Thakur Venkatesh Iyer Vijay Shankar
