Hardik Pandya’s advice helps Suryansh Shedge claim four wickets for India A

Pandya’s advice gave Shedge a plan to rely on

Suryansh Shedge turned a late call-up into a standout bowling performance, taking 4-40 for India A against Australia A in Puducherry. The 23-year-old Mumbai allrounder was added to the squad after Hardik Pandya withdrew with a fresh shin injury. Shedge struggled with the bat, but his bowling made a mark in the hosts’ defeat.

Shedge said advice from Pandya at the BCCI Centre of Excellence helped him identify a reliable foundation for his bowling: mastering his stock delivery. “He told me to master my stock ball, the target-area ball. That needs to become my USP because when someone is attacking you, you can always fall back on it,” he said.

For Shedge, that dependable option is a hard-length delivery. He said variations such as a slower ball or a quicker full ball can keep a batter guessing, but the stock ball becomes more effective when it is established as a consistent option.

Hard length worked on a slowing surface

Shedge said he adjusted after noticing the pitch slow down, opting to hit the deck with a scrambled seam and bowl short of a good length rather than offer fuller deliveries. “After the first over, I realised that short-of-good-length ball would work here,” he said. The approach brought him four wickets.

The India A opportunity follows another late opening in Shedge’s rise: he made his international debut against Ireland in June after injuries ruled out Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy. His latest performance again came after Pandya’s absence, though this time Shedge’s impact was with the ball.