Yuvraj Singh, when on song, is considered to be one of the cleanest strikers of a cricket ball. His six-hitting skills have been witnessed in the past, where he could strike any bowler for a maximum, and India seems to have found a similar player in the form of Hardik Pandya, who does not mind taking on bowlers from ball one.
The all-rounder is gradually earning a huge name for himself, and bowlers are afraid to bowl to him, especially spinners, who have faced the brunt of his music in the last couple of months.
India coach Ravi Shastri pleased to have him in the squad, and what makes Pandya a special player is his ability to bat at any position with success. Though Pandya might be looked as a number six-seven batsman, Pandya has batted as high as number four for India in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.
One does not know whether the thinktank are planning to make him a number four batsman, but Shastri made it clear that the all-rounder can be used as a floater in the Indian batting line-up.
The India gaffer even compared Pandya's big hitting skills with Yuvraj, who was best in the business.
With age (23) by his side, Pandya plays fearless cricket. If the ball is there to be hit, he backs himself and goes for the full monty. More often than not, the ball travels towards the stands for a six.
"He (Hardik) is a dangerous guy. He can be a floater in the batting order - tremendous striker of the ball, especially when he hits spinners. I have not seen too many players strike against spinners like that. Yuvraj Singh in his heydeys may be. This guy can clear any ground in the world, be it second ball, third ball. It's the exuberance of youth," Shastri said.
Besides his batting ability, Pandya is a handy medium pacer, who has the knack of taking wickets at regular intervals. It is his brilliance with the bat and ball, which has made him a regular feature of this India team across all formats.
The all-rounder has been brilliant in sub-continental conditions, but his major test will lie when India travel abroad, and play in difficult batting surfaces.
