Makes no difference where I bat: Hardik Pandya

The Indian cricket team is on the cusp of something great. A win in the fourth One-Day International in Bangalore will see it register its best run in the history of the format, taking it past its record of nine straight wins that came between November 2008 and February 2009.

Having already sealed the five-match series against Australia with an unassailable lead of 3-0 in Indore, the host will be thriving on confidence ahead of the remaining encounters.

It has not been an easy journey, with the Australians often putting Virat Kohli’s men in tricky situations throughout the series. But it’s the way the team has responded to those challenges that has made this unit stand out.

Hardik Pandya has been one of the most important figures in that revolution. The youngster from Baroda has delivered with both bat and ball to bail the side out of precarious situations time and again, which makes him a vital weapon in Kohli’s artillery.

“As I always say, it’s important to back yourself, and in cricket, confidence always matters and I’m confident that I can clear the ground (whenever I want),” he quipped after helping India script a five-wicket win with a 72-ball 78 at Holkar Stadium on Sunday (September 24).

Pandya’s ability to diffuse the pressure with big hits has triggered a lot of headaches in the opposition camp. In the first ODI in Chennai, he smashed Adam Zampa for three sixes and a four in an over to completely change the complexion of the game, while in Indore, he targeted Ashton Agar’s left-arm spin to take the attack to the Australians.

“It’s not just about hitting,” he pointed out. “It’s pretty important that I read the game. (In Chennai) when Zampa was bowling, I knew I could hit a six off him anytime I wanted. But I waited till the 37th over and then used the opportunity to change the momentum. Eventually, that one over changed the momentum in that game. I tried it and it came out pretty well. That’s my way of thinking. It’s about being positive and backing yourself and if I feel like, I go for it. I read the situation and go for it.”

The allrounder’s prowess with the bat under pressure can be traced back to the Champions Trophy final earlier this year, when he counter-attacked Pakistan in a dwindling chase at The Oval. Pandya however, refused to identify that knock – a 43-ball 76, studded with four boundaries and six sixes – as the turning point.

“If you think that was my turning point, then you are most welcome, but I think I played quite well in the IPL before that too,” he said. “Last year’s IPL wasn’t great for me, so I worked hard, and came back to form. And to be honest, I used to hit sixes before too, it’s just that I am hitting them at a higher level now. I have been hitting sixes since childhood!”

Kohli tweeted a video soon after the win, calling Pandya ‘the man of the moment’ who had proved his credentials when he was promoted to bat at No. 4 on the night.

“It does not make any difference where I bat,” Pandya pointed out. “Rather than seeing it as a challenge, I saw it as an opportunity to do something nice for the team. When I was told I was going to go out to bat next, I was happy. This is the first time I got the chance to play so many balls, so that was great.

“The message was always simple. Play your game, however you generally play. It depends on the situation, I can play all kinds of innings. Obviously the plan was to target the spinners and yeah, it came out pretty well.”

There was a stage in the game when Kohli and Kedar Jadhav departed in quick succession, leaving Pandya and Manish Pandey, the latter having struggled for runs in the first two games, to take the chase forward.

“I was batting on 40 or something and the equation was at run-a-ball, so we knew if we took the game deep into the chase, then the boundary balls would automatically come, since the margin of runs wasn’t much,” he said. “We bat pretty deep, and we knew MS (Dhoni) was still to come. It was only a matter of spending more time in the middle.”

India was chasing 294 for victory, but its pursuit could have been a lot steeper had the bowlers not restricted Australia, who looked set for a total close to 350 at one stage, at the death.

“You never know about these could-have-been situations,” Pandya insisted. “Well, obviously when they were 207 for 1 or so in 35 overs, even we thought they might get to 330-340, being practical since we ourselves play so much cricket. But our bowlers were amazing and got the important wickets. They (Australia) got 30 runs less in the end. But had we been chasing 340, we would have played the way you need to to chase 340.”

It was Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane who provided India the early impetus, racking up 139 runs for the opening wicket.

“They came and played positively,” Steven Smith, the Australian captain, conceded after the loss. “I guess that’s one of the luxuries you have when you are 2-0 up in the series. You can take the game on and take a few risks. I thought the way they played, they took the game away, executed it really well, got themselves ahead of the scoring rate and set it up for the rest of the guys.”

Pandya shared the same thoughts, stressing on how important the stand was for the batsmen who came in next.

“They were the ones who set the proper platform for us to go and express ourselves,” he said. “The shots which they played were outstanding. It’s a treat to watch them play and score runs. Many people have said it in the past and I am again saying it.”

Before turning the heat on with his batting, Pandya provided India with the important wicket of David Warner, who was flummoxed by a sharp off-cuter that took his middle stump.

“I was just trying to bowl fast off-cutters, and it actually nipped,” he said. “It actually gripped the pitch and moved. I got to know that when I bowled a slower ball to him earlier. The wicket was too dry and I had to do something different. I couldn’t just bowl seam up and get whacked. So I just assessed the conditions well and that’s how I eventually got the wicket.

“It is pretty amazing (to bowl alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar) as we keep talking to each other and discussing what the wicket is doing, and what kind of deliveries we should be bowling. They are outstanding – they bowl equally well at the start and at the death. It’s amazing to have guys like that. It gives me confidence to go all out and express myself.”

The recent performances has led to an increased weight of responsibilities on Pandya’s shoulders, but he seems unfazed by the test and only considers it a part and parcel of a professional cricketer’s life.

“I don’t think that much. I focus only on the things which I can focus on and right now, I’m just playing my cricket. I just back myself and if you do that, you always come out on top.”

A sixth straight bilateral ODI series win is already in the bag, but India won’t take things lightly in the remaining two games. A 5-0 result is what it would be after, and given his all-round involvement in the team’s affairs lately, Pandya could well have a big role to play in it.