India vs South Africa: As visitors aim to script history, can Hardik Pandya justify 'x-factor' tag in Test series?

Over the last 25 years, India have played a Test series in South Africa six times — the first one was in 1992 and the most recent one in the 2013-14 season. The Proteas won five of them while the best that the Indians have produced was a drawn series in 2010. The lack of a fifth bowler was repeatedly listed out as one of the main reasons for the Indian team’s inadequacy. Interestingly though, on the only occasions of an Indian Test victory in the Proteas’ den — Johannesburg 2006 and Durban 2010 — the team had opted to go in with a seven-four combination. [caption id=“attachment_4280671” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Hardik Pandya has been labelled as the x-factor for India in the upcoming tour of South Africa. AFP[/caption] Having said that the absence of a genuine fast bowling all-rounder was felt in all the tours. The balance of the team was also an issue in 1992 despite Kapil Dev’s presence as he was the side’s frontline pacer. Ravi Shastri. Anil Kumble. Sourav Ganguly. Dodda Ganesh. Harbhajan Singh. Suresh Raina. Sachin Tendulkar. Rohit Sharma. The aforementioned names have all assumed the responsibility of the fifth bowler over the course of those six tours. Out of the eight mentioned names though, only two players’ primary role was bowling. The rest were just sending down a few overs to give some rest to the main bowlers. That quandary was also quite evident during India’s last Test series when MS Dhoni’s men couldn’t break the mammoth stand between AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. The pair forced India to use seven bowlers and almost took South Africa over the line from a precarious position. Had the Proteas chased down 458, the Johannesburg game would’ve gone down as one of the most humiliating Tests in Indian history. It was a lesson to India that if they are to avoid such ignominy in the next cycle of overseas tours, discovering a fast bowling all-rounder was a must. Stuart Binny auditioned for the role albeit with little success. Vijay Shankar was also on the radar until an injury gave Hardik Pandya the opportunity and the Baroda all-rounder cashed in on it. Within a few months, he was fast-tracked, on potential, to the Test squad and now Pandya, who has played only three Tests, finds himself as the player who might just hold the key between India and their first Test series win in South Africa. He has been labelled as the ‘x-factor.’ Pandya’s rise in the limited-overs cricket has gone from strength to strength. His consistent run also helped him win the ‘Man of the Series’ award in the ODI series against Australia. But many found the news of him opting out of the Sri Lankan Test series hard to digest. Some questioned his need for rest, while a few mentioned how playing him in the eleven could’ve provided Virat Kohli better clarity over the playing combinations ahead of the South Africa tour. While both points made sense, Pandya was nonchalant and said he ‘asked for the rest.’ He also revealed how he is going to use that time to work on his fitness levels and prepare for the upcoming series. “I’m lucky that I got this rest. Actually, rest means I’m going to train in the gym and improve my fitness and again come back properly fit. I’m pretty excited for the South Africa series. I wanted that break to get super fit for the South Africa series and then I can bounce back quickly,” the 24-year old told CNN-News 18 . Realistically speaking, India may go into the first Test with Rohit Sharma as their sixth batsman and four bowlers — three pacers and a lone spinner. It can be deemed as a safety-first approach, but if the pitch demands, Pandya might sneak into the eleven and in that light, he would have to bowl a lot of overs, unlike in Sri Lanka where Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bore the burden. In South African conditions, where bounce is a big factor, bowlers like Pandya — a hit-the-deck kind of bowler — can prosper. The 24-year old has also displayed various skills under his belt throughout the bygone year in ODIs and T20Is, where he has broken many frustrating stands for India, and also in Tests. One simply needs to revisit the lovely delivery he bowled with an off-break grip to end the threatening partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis in this regard. If India want Pandya to be their fifth bowler and also expect him to be among the runs, fitness would be of paramount importance, and the 24-year old was given appropriate time to work on it before January 2018. Those who have followed Pandya’s career since his national debut, or even before that must be aware that batting is his stronger suit, more so against the spinners. Ask Milinda Pushpakumara, Imad Wasim, Adam Zampa or Shadab Khan — they will tell you all about it. Interestingly, his approach doesn’t even change in Tests - he has a strike of 100 or more in all his three innings. But he has also shown a penchant of playing patient innings — a gritty 79 off 116 for India A against Australia in the second unofficial Test in September 2016. But can he emulate similar knocks against the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and comeback man Dale Steyn? The absence of a fast bowling all-rounder can really hurt a side. For instance, would England have been so dominatingly outplayed in the Ashes had Ben Stokes been a part of the team? India have not been as dependent on Pandya as much as England are on Stokes mainly because most of their Tests were played at home. But as the overseas assignments begin, Kohli and Co would start relying on the 24-year old. And a question will be in the minds of many a cricket fan — can Pandya live up to the x-factor expectations? 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