I AM A PROPER BATSMAN: PANDYA

Fast-rising allrounder says he is not merely a pinch-hitter

Mirpur, Feb. 25: Whacking the ball hard and far is his natural style but fast-rising Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya insists he is a proper batsman and not merely a pinch-hitter.

Pandya has won quite a few admirers, including Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with his aggressive style of batting which the Indian captain says is a big advantage for India in the T20 format.

“This is my style of play and this is how I have been playing my cricket. I have never been sent in by the team as a pinchhitter. I believe I am a proper batsman. That is why I am not told by anyone to bat in a particular way. It is a good thing that I am able to score at that pace which is something that the team requires from me,” Pandya was quoted as saying by bcci.tv.

Pandya, who stroked a quickfire 18-ball 31 in India’s win in the Asia Cup opener against Bangladesh last night, said hitting sixes has always given him joy and his natural instinct to smack the ball hard.

“I don’t really know how and where I got my big hitting capabilities from. But, right from my childhood days, it was a habit for me to hit big sixes. I always had this urge to send the ball out of the boundary be it any tournament.

“Even when I was 16 or 17 and finding my way into competitive cricket, hitting sixes was something that I always wanted to do. Even at that age, I would back myself and follow my instincts. If I would feel that I have to hit the first ball for a six, I would go for it. That is the way I have played and that is the way I play even now. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but that is the way it goes.”