In World T20 year, search on for big hitters
NEW DELHI: Out of Hardik Pandya’s seven innings in IPL 2022, he has batted at No. 4 five times and twice at No. 3. In all of them, Pandya has looked assured and rejuvenated with the responsibility of leading Gujarat Titans sitting comfortably on his wiry shoulders. Remember that Pandya hadn’t played any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup last year before coming into this IPL, but he has done all that is needed of him—including bowling his quota of overs barring the last couple of games as a precautionary measure after clutching his hamstring midway through his third over against Rajasthan Royals—to suggest that a recall to the Indian team is a matter of time.
But when he dons the India blue again ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year, will he bat any higher than No 6? Unlikely, because the top five spots are likely to be occupied by Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant while many other contenders jostle to get a look-in.
How then should we view Pandya’s IPL success higher up the order where the skill-set is very different from the requirements of a finisher? It brings into focus the club-country conundrum still new to cricket: where a player’s role for his club/ franchise is different from when he is on international duty.
Should Pandya be honing his skills as much as possible in the position where he is likely to slot in for the national team even if the requirements for Gujarat Titans are different? In IPL 2021, he struggled to instantly get the big shots away in the slog overs, illustrated by a strike rate of 113.39 in 12 games. There wouldn’t be as much fixation over Pandya’s batting position if more Indian players were used as finishers in IPL.
But with Ravindra Jadeja— who is slated to occupy the No. 7 spot due to his all-round skills— not finding the big hits, the India set-up isn’t exactly brimming with options in those key slots. In eight games for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Jadeja has scored 112 at a strike rate of 121.74. Glance through the 10 IPL teams and you will find that quite a few rely on an overseas player to do the power-hitting, whether it is Shimron Hetmyer for RR, Andre Russell for KKR, Kieron Pollard for MI, Marcus Stoinis for LSG or even Rovman Powell for DC. Powell has come to the fore in the last two games with knocks of 33 not out off 16 balls and 36 off 15.
Hetmyer, in particular, has been a revelation this season, displaying the adaptability to switch from being a top-order batter to an able finisher. The Guyanese left-hander has batted at a range of positions from No. 4 to 7 but the most number of balls he has faced in an innings is 36 against Lucknow Super Giants when he made an unbeaten 59 to rescue his team from 64/3 and help them reach a winning total of 165/6. That he has only faced around 17 balls on average per game hasn’t come in the way of making an impact.
It’s widely acknowledged of course that the best place to bat in T20 is at the top of the order. Even if the ball moves around initially, top-order batters have the luxury of pacing their innings accordingly and racking up the big scores when the conditions suit.
Among the Indian players, Dinesh Karthik has been an exception. Having been in the circuit for almost two decades now, he has performed a variety of roles and fulfilled many team requirements but clearly seems to derive the most satisfaction from his latest avatar as a T20 finisher. RCB skipper Faf du Plessis recently paid Karthik the biggest compliment when he compared his calmness at the crease to MS Dhoni’s. “Obviously, MS (Dhoni) is probably the best finisher in the game. But from what I’ve seen from DK this year, he’s on that same level,” said du Plessis.
But has Karthik’s success in this role come too late in the day? He turns 37 in June and finds Pant ensconced as wicketkeeper-batter. With no additional skill to boot, he doesn’t quite lend India the balance they may be striving for. Rahul Tewatia, too, has shown himself to be a handy six-hitter at the back end but there are doubts over consistency and fitness that he needs to allay.
Tewatia has had a bright start with Gujarat Titans, hitting two sixes off the final two deliveries against Punjab Kings for victory and taking down the Sunrisers’ bowlers with a 21-ball 40*. But he needs to keep at it for perhaps a bit longer before becoming a genuine India contender.
The odd cameos from Riyan Parag and Ayush Badoni aside, there aren’t many other Indian batters stepping up towards the back end of an innings. Or not consistently enough. Until they do, India may find that Pandya and Jadeja are their only options to provide that finishing kick.