India and Australia are taking up against each other in the last Test of the four-match Test series at Ahmedabad. This match is on the verge of a Draw and if it happens, the Border-Gavaskar trophy will be secured by India by 2-1.
Meanwhile, former Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson has advocated for the star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to play the Test for India. Watson believes that Hardik Pandya has the potential to reach a great height in the longest format of cricket. Pandya was out from the team for some months due to his back injury and now he is leading the Indian T20 side.
Pandya is not part of the current Indian side against Australia. Watson feels that it is not easy to make a place in the Test team but he praised the batting skills of Pandya and stated that the Indian all-rounder can make it brilliant in Test Cricket.
Watson talked to Hindustan Times and quoted, “If his body can handle the rigors of Test cricket then absolutely. He has got incredible skills even with his batting alone. He has got a very very sound batting technique. Yes, he is a power-hitter of the ball but everyone has seen him move up the batting order in T20 cricket, batting at No.4 for Gujarat Lions. Even in ODIs, he is not just a power-hitter. So from just batting perspective, he has got the game to perform in Test cricket.”
In recent times, Pandya has shown impressive performance in his bowling abilities. He can swing the ball during the initial overs of the game, making a significant impact. Additionally, Pandya has a five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket, which highlights his potential as a valuable asset for the Rohit Sharma-led team.
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Watson further added, “Bowling wise, if he is fit he charges in and he has got great skill. He can swing the brand new ball away and he would provide a huge impact for the Indian Test team. For me it eventually comes down to his body and whether it can handle the rigours of playing Test cricket as a fast-bowling all-rounder. I would love to see him push the limits as an all-rounder and cricketer when it comes to playing all formats of the game because he is one of the special talents in world cricket.”