The return of Hardik Pandya on a full-time basis to the Indian national team after months of speculation has been a complete blessing for the side. It’s quite obvious the balance that Pandya brings to the team and his absence due to fitness reasons had become quite a concern for the team who had struggled to replace his talents in the middle of the park.

However, those worries have now been put to rest for the time being. The Pandya that has returned to the national side has also shown plenty of maturity and taking on responsibility on the field. The natural progression was quite evident during his final years with Mumbai Indians and especially, after being appointed the captain of Gujarat Titans as he managed to lead the debutants to the IPL trophy in their maiden campaign.

There have been changes to his roles on the pitch as well. While Pandya began his career as a ferocious lower-order hitter capable of dispatching any bowler to all corners of the park and finishing games by his own accord, he has shown more temperament and flexibility with the bat since IPL 2022. For Gujarat Titans, he essentially played the role of a number 3 batter and returned positive scores during crunch situations while also preventing batting collapses.

Pandya’s national teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, who faced him in the final of IPL 2022, hasn’t shied away from praising his growth as a batter over the last year or so. “Hardik has changed completely, we saw him batting at No.7 earlier. I think when he went to Gujarat Titans from Mumbai Indians, he realised he can bat higher up the order. Any batter who can hit right from the crease, it is difficult to bowl to him. He is batting like a proper batter, which has given us more strength,” said Chahal on Sports Yaari.

While his batting has clearly been a positive for the team, it’s also what he brings to the table as a bowler that has been crucial in maintaining the balance for Team India. Following several issues with his back over the last few years, Pandya is finally back to bowling his full quota of four overs and hitting speeds of around 140 kmph on a regular basis.

“He is bowling his four overs also, with him coming back, it has really helped our side. He bowls a quick bouncer, if you see it from square off, his bouncer is really deceptive. It shows how much he worked hard when he was out due to injury,” Chahal further added.