MS Dhoni might have felt a little wistful as he watched Hardik Pandya smash monstrous hits and then pick up two crucial wickets in the series opener on Sunday. Right from the early days of his captaincy, Dhoni had lamented the lack of a quality seam all-rounder, one who could win games with both bat and ball. And finally when India found that elusive all-rounder in Pandya, the former India skipper is not too far away from bringing down the curtain on his storied career.
Pandya’s impact in the opening match was obvious — his 66-ball 83 when the team was down in the dumps, and his dismissal of Steve Smith and Travis Head in a space of a few balls broke the back of the Aussies. However, the performance of the wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal – didn’t catch as much attention as it deserved. The duo took five wickets in nine overs, giving away just 63 runs to help India to an easy win.
Source Tribune India
