Former Indian seamer, Zaheer Khan seems glad after hearing that Hardik Pandya has started bowling at the nets for Team India at the T20 World Cup 2021, saying he is hopeful that the all-rounder will come out to bowl a couple of overs in the next match against New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai. Hardik Pandya had not bowled in competitive cricket since the Sri Lanka tour earlier this year.
Hardik Pandya went through Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 for Mumbai Indians without delivering a ball as he was recovering from a series of back injuries. However, Hardik was picked for India’s T20 World Cup squad after selectors insisted that he will be able to bowl in the tournament.
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Nonetheless, Hardik did not bowl for India in the match against Pakistan, and the men in blue felt wanting in the absence of a 6th bowling option as Pakistan gunned down a 152-run target with 10 wickets in hand. India used Virat Kohli as their 6th bowling option in a warm-up match against Australia but he did not bowl against Pakistan.
Zaheer Khan highlighted that Hardik Pandya’s bowling will give captain Kohli flexibility and strengthen the bowling unit. During a chat on Cricbuzz, Zaheer Khan said, “Yes, he has started to bowl in the nets so hopeful that he will bowl in the next match. It is going to be crucial because when Hardik is bowling, it does shift the balance of the bowling attack in good strength because as a captain you have that sixth bowling option.”
■■■■■■■■■■■□□□ LOADING@hardikpandya7 | #TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/hlwtrGDfNR
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 28, 2021
Zaheer Khan further added, “Look at any team, they have a minimum of six bowling options except for India that went in with five bowling options. You then kind to get stuck with rotating the bowlers and does not give you freedom as we saw in the last game.”
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to social media on Thursday to share photos from Hardik’s bowling session at their first practice session for the match against New Zealand. Hardik bowled a couple of overs to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur at the nets before he started practicing big-hitting under the watchful eyes of mentor MS Dhoni, according to PTI.
