Sanjay Bangar has made a strong statement about Hardik Pandya’s value to Indian cricket, calling him irreplaceable in the current setup. The former India batting coach explained why no other player in the country can match Pandya’s all-round skill set as the star all-rounder prepares to return from injury.

Why Hardik Pandya stands alone in Indian cricket

Sanjay Bangar highlighted that Hardik Pandya is a rare all-rounder who can earn his place in the Indian team purely as a batter or purely as a bowler. This makes him different from every other player in the country. Bangar compared him to similar players in world cricket like Ben Stokes for England and Ravindra Jadeja for India, all of whom have no real backup because of how good they are in both departments.

According to Bangar, Pandya could walk into the top five on batting alone, and if he only bowled, he would still be among the top three seamers in any team. That level of skill in both areas is what makes him impossible to replace and allows India to play the combinations they want, especially with the spin options available.

Return from injury after two-month layoff

Hardik Pandya will return to the Indian squad for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting December 9 in Cuttack. He has been out of action for over two months after suffering a quadricep injury during the Asia Cup in September. The injury kept him out of India’s tour to Australia and the Test and ODI series against South Africa at home.

Before his international comeback, Pandya returned to competitive cricket through the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Baroda. Playing against Punjab, he smashed an unbeaten 77 off just 42 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes to guide Baroda to a seven-wicket win. He also bowled his full quota of four overs, taking 1 for 52, showing he is back to full fitness with bat and ball. Workload management will be key

Bangar stressed that managing Pandya’s workload carefully will be important as he returns from injury. He suggested that the all-rounder should play at least the first three matches of the T20I series against South Africa to help him settle back into international cricket. However, Bangar added that it is too early to say how many matches Pandya should play before the T20 World Cup.

The team management will need to monitor how he responds to the intensity of international cricket, which is very different from domestic tournaments like SMAT. A fully fit Hardik Pandya gives India the flexibility to pick the best combination, and his presence is vital for the team’s balance and plans ahead of major tournaments.

Shubman Gill returns, Sanju Samson faces competition

Shubman Gill is also making a comeback to the squad after missing nearly a month of cricket due to a neck spasm suffered during the first Test against South Africa. Bangar believes that Gill’s growth as Test captain over the past year will help him in white-ball cricket, especially in understanding match situations and his role at the top of the order in T20Is.

On the wicketkeeper debate, Bangar suggested that Sanju Samson might find it hard to secure a regular spot in the T20 side. He explained that Samson’s best position is at the top of the order, but with players like Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya available for the middle order, there may not be room for him at numbers four, five, or six. Bangar felt that Jitesh Sharma, who can bat lower down and hit big shots with an older ball, will likely get the number seven spot ahead of Samson.