How Hardik Pandya’s key advice helped Suryansh Shedge find his bowling weapon

Puducherry: Suryansh Shedge was not even part of the original India ‘A’ squad for the unofficial ODIs against Australia ‘A’. A late call-up, following Hardik Pandya’s withdrawal with a fresh shin injury, handed the 23-year-old Mumbai allrounder an opportunity. He responded in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, returning figures of 4-40, even though he failed with the bat as the hosts lost the match.Shedge’s journey into the national set-up has been shaped by opportunities arriving at the right moment. He made his international debut against Ireland in June after injuries ruled out Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy.Pandya, during his time at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, gave Shedge some valuable advice.“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. If that gets mentally set in your mind, you’ll find it easier,” Shedge said.“My stock ball is the hard length. The surprise could be a slower one or a quicker full ball. It’s about making the batter guess, because then the stock ball becomes effective.”His hard-length delivery proved to be his biggest weapon against Australia ‘A’. With the pitch slowing down, he quickly realised that bowling short of a good length would be more effective than pitching it fuller.“The wicket was a bit slower. After the first over, I realised that short-of-good-length ball would work here. I used the scrambled seam and tried to hit the deck, which gave me results,” he said.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.