'India is definitely missing Hardik Pandya' - Wasim Jaffer shares views on young seam-bowling all-rounders in national team setup

Wasim Jaffer believes that younger seam-bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Suryansh Shedge don't possess the same skills with the ball as Hardik Pandya. His assessment came on the back of India's 0-2 series defeat to Ireland

Ahead of India's five-match T20I series against England, Jaffer urged the batters and pacers to take more responsibility and cover up for Hardik's absence. The Baroda all-rounder is currently in the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, recovering from a quadriceps injury.

"We have seen Hardik taking the new ball at times. He gives you at least three overs and plays the role of a finisher. That cog is missing. You are playing Suryansh, but at the moment, he doesn't have the ability to bowl 3-4 overs. Even Nitish. They are not in that calibre at the moment. So definitely India is missing Hardik. I feel the fast bowlers will have to step up, and the batters will also have to cover for this and outbat the opposition," Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.

While Jaffer mentioned that the batting department let India down against Ireland, he heaped praise on Harshit Rana's all-round skills and complimented Prince Yadav, who bagged three wickets on his T20I debut in the series decider.

"Harshit bowled well on his comeback, and he batted well too. You can see the improvement in him, and it is visible. You can trust him with the bat at number eight and nine. He has been successful and the positive in these two games without a doubt. Prince also used his opportunity well, so there have been positives. But collectively, the team has not performed, the batting has not performed," he added.

Wasim Jaffer admitted that England will pose a much tougher challenge to the Indian team compared to Ireland. The former India opener hoped that Shreyas Iyer and Co. would bring their A-game to the fore after the debacle against the Irish.

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"England will definitely be a tougher challenge. After the Ireland series, England will also believe that they can beat India. There are loopholes as there is no Bumrah and Hardik. Two important players. Somebody else has to fill those shoes. The England series will be even more tougher. I hope India start to play at their best after this wake-up call," he said.