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IND vs AUS: “If His Body Can Handle The Rigours Of Test Cricket Then Absolutely” – Shane Watson Heaps Praise On Hardik Pandya

13/03/2023

Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson believes that Hardik Pandya can be a great asset for India as a fast-bowling all-rounder in Test cricket. Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya played his last game in the longest format of the game during the tour of England in 2018 and went unselected in the squad after that due to injuries.

The 29-year-old is currently focusing on white ball formats, with two World Cups coming in the next two years. The right-handed batsman was named understudy to Rohit Sharma in both ODI and T20I after his success as stand-in captain for India. He made a big impact with both bat and ball at the recently concluded World Cup in Australia.

He is one of the special talents in World Cricket – Shane Watson

Shane Watson hailed Hardik Pandya as a “special talent in world cricket” and said the all-rounder should return to the longer format if his body can withstand the rigors of Test cricket. Watson believes Pandya can swing the new ball and make a big impact for the Indian Test team as an all-rounder.

“If his body can withstand the rigors of Test cricket, then absolutely. He has incredible skills even with his solo hitting. He has a very solid hitting technique. Yes, he is a power hitter of the ball, but everyone has seen him rise up the batting order in T20 cricket, batting at number 4 for the Gujarat Lions. Even in ODI, he is not just a power hitter. So just from a batting perspective, he has the game to play in Test cricket.” he said.

“As far as bowling, if he’s fit, he charges and has great skill. He can push away the new ball and He would do provide a big shock for the Indian test team. For me it ultimately comes down to his body and whether he can handle the rigors of playing Test cricket as a fast bowling all rounder. Yo I would love to see him push the limits as a cricketer and all rounder when it comes to playing all formats of the game. because he is one of the special talents of world cricket.”

Also read: IND vs AUS: Wish you make 8,000, 10,000, 15,000 runs – Sunil Gavaskar’s special wish for Indian batsman after his brilliant strike at BGT 2023