‘It is handy to have a player like that’ – Glenn McGrath praises India cricketer

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Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath was all praise for all-rounder Hardik Pandya as he believes that it is ‘handy to have a player like that’ for any team on the international stage.“I like Hardik, the way he bowls, bats, his attributes. It is handy to have a player like that,” McGrath said, drawing comparisons with England’s Andrew Flintoff. Pandya is set to play in the D Y Patil T20 tournament after he suffered a bad lower back injury five months ago and underwent a surgery in London. The 26-year-old all-rounder, who hasn’t played international cricket since then, has been recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

McGrath also believes that with the explosive duo of David Warner and Steve Smith back in the Australian team, India are in for a tough time during their tour Down Under later this year.

India had registered their first Test series triumph in 71 years in Australia when Virat Kohli and his men won 2-1 in the four-match rubber to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy last year.

“Australia are playing good cricket. Steve Smith and David Warner — both are playing well and we saw what Warner is capable of in the Australian summer. Having a batsman like Warner back, and a quality batsman like Steve Smith, it’s a totally different game,” McGrath told reporters here.

The Australian team that Kohli and Co. defeated earlier didn’t feature Smith and Warner, who were serving 12-month bans for their respective roles in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in 2018.

Smith and Warner returned to the national team ahead of last year’s World Cup and have looked in good form since then as they helped Australia retain the Ashes against England. India are set to tour Australia later this year for four Tests.

“…it’s gonna be tougher for India. That’s not to say they they can’t perform well. They have got confidence of playing in Australian conditions now and they know how to do it.

“They’ve done it and they’ve been successful. So, there’s still enough positives there I think it’s going to be a really good series for sure,” he said.