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Hardik Pandya has a scary new superbat that somebody needs to investigate

Cricket’s “next global superstar” has some explaining to do after a change of willow turned him into Australia’s terminator.

Hardik Pandya's bat turned him into the terminator.
Hardik Pandya's bat turned him into the terminator.

Cricket beast Hardik Pandya now has a superbat.

If the destructive allrounder wasn’t already scary enough, he has now sent a warning to the rest of the cricketing world that he‘s now found his weapon of choice.

Pandya, who has been the main thorn in Australia’s side in the white ball series so far, did it again on Sunday night at the SCG — leading India to a 2-0 series lead with a brilliant 42 off 22 balls as India chased down Australia’s total of 194 with two balls to spare.

His ice-cool finishing innings left the cricketing world in awe on Sunday night — and on Monday morning the excited reaction reached fever pitch.

English cricket legend Michael Vaughan called Pandya cricket’s “next global superstar” in a video with Cricbuzz.

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However, the world has been left just as intrigued by the 27-year-old’s new willow.

Pandya still had a mountain to climb with India needing 25 runs off the final two overs to win.

India's batsmen Hardik Pandya (L) and Shreyas Iyer celebrate the victory.
India's batsmen Hardik Pandya (L) and Shreyas Iyer celebrate the victory.

After failing to get bat on ball from two straight deliveries from Andrew Tye, Pandya dramatically called for a change of bat in the middle of the over.

With the new blade in his hand, Pandya bashed 23 runs off the next seven deliveries to win the match.

The explosive arrival of the new bat did not go unnoticed by cricket stars, including Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson.

“Pandya and that wonder bat. What a beast,” Khawaja posted on Twitter.

Ferguson wrote: “Unbelievable hitting from @hardikpandya7! We need to get some stats on that bat... It doesn’t miss”.

Pandya said after the match he actually broke his favourite bat in the first ODI in Australia and he’s been testing out which bat he should use going forward.

He has his answer.

“I am trying to figure out my bats now. My match bat got broken in the first ODI which I was playing for the last three years, so the whole series, all these five games, I have been trying to figure out which bat I should bat with,” Pandya said.

“This one looks alright.”

India at one point needed 75 runs off just 38 balls to win the match. That’s when Hardik Pandya came to the crease and flipped the match on its head.

Pandya guided India home, leaving Mark Waugh raving about his hitting.

India's Hardik Pandya is already a massive name. Photo: Phil Hillyard
India's Hardik Pandya is already a massive name. Photo: Phil Hillyard

“He’s a freak, Pandya,” Waugh said in commentary for Fox Cricket.

“That is tremendous batting under pressure. Beautiful ball striking, that’s not a small hit out there.”

Vaughan went even further than Waugh, declaring Pandya has a chance to replace Kohli as cricket’s biggest star in coming years.

“He has to look at the next three years,” Vaughan said.

“With the next T20 world cup being in India, obviously the IPL being in India, the next 50-over World Cup is in India in 2023, Hardik Pandya has got a great opportunity to become the next global superstar.

“MS Dhoni, he had that mantle for many years. Virat Kohli has it now. It’s generally the Indian players that get put onto that pedestal and I think Hardik’s got a chance to be the next superstar.”

Former Aussie captain Michael Clarke said on Monday Pandya’s undeniable form should force India to find a spot for him in their test squad — instead of sending him home.

Clarke told Sky Sports Radio, Pandya should be included in the squad even if he remains unable to bowl in test cricket.

Clarke said Pandya’s batting form is good enough for him to be picked as a No. 6 test batsman, who could also roll his arm over for a few overs each innings.

“The way Hardik Pandya is batting, I’d be keeping him here for the Test squad ... If I was India, I would not be sending home,” he said.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/hardik-pandya-has-a-scary-new-superbat-that-somebody-needs-to-investigate/news-story/4217888baeba2f38cf5e73479b8e8d1d