Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has advised India to consider playing Hardik Pandya in the third Test against the hosts which commences on Boxing Day at Melbourne.
Hussey believes that an all-rounder of Pandya’s ilk could give India much greater balance on a Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch where conditions are set to be remarkably different than that of Perth.
Skipper Virat Kohli fielded a four-man all-pace attack in the second Test at Perth with his decision to omit a spinner backfiring massively. The team’s lengthy tail did it no favours either with India’s lower-order barely making any contributions with the bat.
With Pandya making his return to the squad after recovering from a back injury, Hussey feels that the all-rounder could be a great asset for the tourists at Melbourne.
Pandya has just recently recovered from a back injury.
“Conditions in Perth were quite unique and in Melbourne conditions will be totally different. I thought the Indian fast bowling unit has bowled beautifully in this series. They bowled a lot of overs in Adelaide and Perth in hot conditions, but had to work hard (for Australian wickets),” Hussey was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI).
“He (Pandya) is a bit like Mitchell Marsh, when he is in form. You get an extra bowling option that can take a little load away from the pacers particularly as the four-match series wears on. So this (bowling all-rounder) is something for both sides to look at,” he continued.
There is nothing to separate the two sides so far as they head to Melbourne for the traditional Boxing Day Test. India took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series with a 31-run win at Adelaide before the hosts came storming back with a 146-run victory at Perth to level matters.