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Top Headlines

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The 18-year old batsman has been rewarded for his good returns with the India Under-19 team home and away against England Under-19

Missing pieces gradually fall into place for India

A finisher, two wristspinners and four quality seamers are filling the gaps in India's ODI resources, allowing the team greater flexibility in strategy and more belief in their depth

Since the mellowing of MS Dhoni, India have not had a six-hitter who can put so much pressure on an opposition that they fear his arrival. But that is slowly starting to change.

"Against [Hardik] Pandya, who is a dangerous hitter, if you get it just a little bit wrong, he hits you out of the park," Australia's stand-in coach David Saker said in Bengaluru. "It's a learning curve for all of us bowling to him. He's a very good talent and he particularly likes to play against spin by the looks of things."

The stats support that statement - 51 runs in 28 balls off Adam Zampa and 37 in 20 balls off Ashton Agar. Pandya has cleared the boundary 28 times in 14 innings this year; only Rohit Sharma has fared better. And only a year after his debut, he is among the top 25 six-hitters for India in 50-over cricket.

His influence, and perhaps more belief in the squad at their disposal, has meant India's middle order is daring to score quicker. The strike-rates of Nos 4 through 7 have increased eight points, from 88 to 96, when comparing the two years leading up to the 2015 World Cup and the two years after it.

India have the makings of a new finisher and, in theory, that allows a highly talented top order to take more risks, which means a batting line-up that is already known for making 300-plus can push the bar even higher. Or they can recover from dreadful situations. Pandya's 83 in Chennai led India to only their 13th victory in the 61 occasions they have found themselves five down for less than 90 against other top-nine nations.