Australia’s India tour starts on February 24 with the first T20 to be held in Visakhapatnam.
Australia's Marcus Stoinis plays a shot over the boundary line for six runs as India's wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (L) looks on. (Photo: AFP)
Veteran Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden believes his fellow countryman, Marcus Stoinis, is better than India’s promising all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Hayden also insisted that Aussie pacer Pat Cummins can also cause trouble to India opener Shikhar Dhawan in the forthcoming two-match T20 series and five-match ODI series between India and Australia.
Heaping praises on India’s wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Hayden made the prediction that Haryana bowler will come out on top in his expected middle-overs battle against all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.
Advertisement
Australia’s India tour starts on February 24 with the first T20 to be held in Visakhapatnam.
“Marcus Stoinis is developing into a world-class all-rounder. He is unlucky not to be playing a little bit more Test cricket. He has quality in his play, although Hardik is also a fine player,” Hayden said while comparing the two fast-bowling all-rounders.
“Stoinis has adopted a wider approach to his game which is winning matches for his country. Hardik Pandya also has the same responsibility, but I think right now Stoinis is a better player,” Hayden was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Talking about Indian opener Dhawan, who enjoys pace bowling, Hayden said, “I think Patty will be the babysitter.”
On the duel between Chahal and Maxwell, Hayden said, “Maxwell is a player who has struggled when playing in Indian conditions. His IPL performances have not been quite impactful.
“In the perspective of ODIs and Test matches, Maxwell has achieved one excellent 100. But Chahal is developing into a world-class spinner and possesses plenty of variation,” Hayden said, adding, “Maxwell often comes in through the middle stages where he will really need to pump up the pace and Chahal has got variation, so I will get Chahal to babysit.”
Advertisement
