IND vs SA: Ravi Bhai Was Like 'He Is The Boy Who Will Win Us Tests Abroad': R Sridhar Reveals Shastri's Huge Claim On Team India Star

Published - 02 Oct 2022, 11:43 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 07:04 AM

Hardik Pandya, the top all-rounder for India, is largely considered as one of the team’s most crucial players right now. The 28-year-old superstar made an electrifying return to the Indian squad after putting in constant work for the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 IPL, where he helped the team win its first championship.

After India’s unsuccessful showing in the T20 World Cup the year before, Pandya declared himself ineligible for selection and used the time to concentrate on his back injury recovery.

After rejoining the international team, Hardik put up outstanding performances and quickly cemented his place in the limited-overs teams.

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Ravi Shastri Knew That Hardik Pandya Was A Missing Link For India Abroad: R Sridhar

But according to R Sridhar, a former fielding coach for the Men in Blues, Ravi Shastri saw the all-rounder’s potential long before he made his international debut in 2016. Shastri took over as the national team’s head coach a year after Anil Kumble did at the time.

India, Hardik Pandya — Hardik Pandya walks off with the ball after taking five wickets [Image-Getty]

“We saw him as an out-and-out match-winner in the Indian team. Ravi bhai saw his potential even before he made his debut for India. He was like, ‘he is the boy who will win us Test matches abroad’. He knew that Hardik was a missing link for India abroad, an all-rounder who can crack a 140+.

So, we all knew what Hardik could bring to the team. Straightaway, Hardik started learning lessons from Mahi, Rohit, Virat. We all knew what he bring to the table,” Sridhar said on cricket.com.

“His strength is he played cricket because he love the sport. He absolutely enjoyed playing cricket, whether it was batting, bowling, fielding. We didn’t see any perceived weakness in him,” the former coach further said.

Hardik Pandya has participated in 11 games in the longest format since making his Test debut in 2017. Pandya made his final Test match in England in September 2018. Shortly after, he had a back injury, and as part of the workload management procedure over the next years, he was restricted to limited-overs formats.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: “Jasprit Bumrah Has Gone To NCA, Waiting For An Official Confirmation”- Rahul Dravid

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Hardik Pandya IND vs SA 2022 India National Cricket Team R Sridhar Ravi Shastri South Africa tour of India 2022