Aussies get one back!

Elusive 4-0 lead was in Virat Kohli's sight till the rain break but after that it all went downhill as Australia cleaned up India's middle order to register their first victory on this tour. Australia batted really well to get to 334 courtesy of Warner's hundred and a late overs dash by Handscomb and Stoinis. India started briskly as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane went about their business in a very attractive manner but I think Rohit Sharma's run out was the turning point and loss of Virat Kohli immediately after that dented India's hopes to greater extent. Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey played cameos which clearly weren't good enough. Dhoni coming in at 7 was a bit of surprise so as a result he had to swing his big sparten willow from the very first ball and this wasn't the kind of pitch where a new batsman coming in could hit the ball out of the ground straightaway. India fell short by 21 runs in the end but I think the match was half lost inside the first 30 overs of the match where India just couldn't get past Warner and Finch.

Is Hardik good enough?

Ben Stokes has established himself as a world class all rounder, Hardik Pandya too has announced himself on the big stage. Just a couple days back, we saw how Hardik Pandya just changed the complexion of the game. The game which was in Australia's grasp till the 20th over was suddenly in India' firm control in the matter of few overs courtesy of some calculated risks and hard hitting. He made his test debut last month against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and scored his maiden test hundred in his second match itself thanks to a not so great bowling attack. But the way he played out initial phase of his innings was truly commendable. He also played a handy role with the ball in hand.

    Will he be a good enough test match all rounder? We are about to find out over the next 18 months. May be, may be not but we should always remember that Hardik Pandya is a classic IPL product and therefore, we can not expect him to play the old school type of cricket. He will play the modern way, he will play the flamboyant way and in the process he might end up playing some silly shots but that's the culture he has brought up in. No doubt that he is going to be a big superstar in the limited overs cricket. He plays these quickfire cameos which turn the match on its head and also consistently gives his captain 6 or 7 overs with a couple of wickets. Interesting aspect to look at it will be whether Kohli can get a full quota of 10 overs out of him.If he can do that, India will be in much better space as they will not need to look at 7th bowling option considering the fact that 6 bowling options is a must now a days. 

     When considering Hardik Pandya as a test all rounder, I have no doubt that Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes will be compared after a couple of years and they will be what Kapil Dev and Sir Ian Botham were to their respective teams. There are a couple of similarities between them. Obviously, both play the game in similar attacking way. Both are natural stroke makers and can use the long handle when needed,very handy and sharp with the ball and athletic in the field. But there is another identical thing there. Left leg of both of them collapses at the point of delivery. Ben Stokes' action is over the perpendicular so it is natural that he puts much greater pressure on left side of his body but Hardik Pandya's action is quite upright and still collapses a great deal. That might make them pick up an injury or two. But let us enjoy and witness the making of two of the greatest all rounders of their generation.