Hardik Pandya - And India's Fast Bowling Attack

Pandya Has Become a Vital Cog in India’s Pace Attack, Which Can Lay Claim to Being Our Best Ever.

- Anand Vasu

When Dennis Lillee came to Chennai to head up the MRF Pace Foundation, several years ago, one of the first questions he was asked at a media interaction was “So, when will you produce the next great Indian fast bowler?” Lillee, without being disrespectful (but being true to his typically wicked sense of humour), replied. “I will have to find the first Indian fast bowler. India has produced many fine medium pacers, but fast bowlers, we are still looking.”

While that might have been a slight exaggeration, it is fair to say that Indian cricket has forever been known for its batting and spin bowling, and no visiting team has set foot on Indian soil expecting tackling quick bowling to be a primary challenge.

In that sense, 2017 has been a year of change – a change of coach, a change of mentality, and Virat Kohli taking the team and Indian cricket firmly under his thumb and moulding it to his fashion. Fitness has become the most crucial factor, and players are rested and rotated without concern for how the rest of the world may judge these decisions. One of Kohli’s pet projects in the year was Hardik Pandya.