Hardik Pandya explains why he is not bowling
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has said he is not willing to rush his bowling return in international cricket. Pandya, who made a comeback to competitive cricket after recovering from a severe lower-back injury, hasn't been bowling of late. The 27-year-old opened up on the "long-term process", as India lost the first ODI to Australia at the SCG. Here is more.
Want to be fully fit for World Cups: Hardik
Speaking on the same, Pandya said he wants to preserve his bowling capacity for the upcoming ICC events. "It is a process," Pandya said after the match. "I am looking at a long-term goal where I want to be 100 per cent of my bowling capacity for the most important games. The World Cups are coming. More crucial series are coming."
'Thinking about the long-term plan', adds Pandya
Pandya talks about his long-term plan. "I am thinking as a long-term plan, not short-term where I exhaust myself and maybe have something else [injury] which is not there. So it's going to be a process, which I am following. I can't tell you when I am going to bowl but the process is going on. In the nets, I am bowling," he added.
The importance of Pandya's bowling
Pandya's bowling becomes of utmost importance when any of the Indian bowler lacks rhythm in the match. In the first ODI, Team India missed the his services with the ball, especially after most of them were expensive. While Yuzvendra Chahal conceded 89 runs, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, and Ravindra Jadeja were hit for 73, 83, and 63 runs respectively.
His presence as a bowler also furnishes the team combination
Pandya, the bowler, also sets the team combination right as this allows leg-spinner Kuldeep Yadav to play alongside Yuzvendra Chahal. The spin-twins have been successful as a pair in limited-overs cricket. Besides, none of the batsmen in top-five are capable of providing some extra overs.
He didn't bowl even a single over in the IPL
Pandya has been a vital cog in India's bowling set-up, however, he hasn't bowled a single over since his return to competitive cricket. He played as a pure batsman in the recently concluded Indian Premier League and finished with 281 runs.
Indian captain Virat Kohli too addresses this issue
Indian captain Virat Kohli too addressed this issue in the post-match conference. "Unfortunately Hardik is not ready to bowl yet so we have to accept that and work around it," Kohli said. "That is an area we have looked at, which is a very big part of any team balance. [Marcus] Stoinis and Glenn [Maxwell] do it for Australia."
Pandya top-scored (90) as India lost the first ODI
Hosts Australia sealed an emphatic victory over Team India in the first ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A blazing stand from Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan went in vain as the Indians failed to chase a mammoth target of 375. Having played an astonishing knock during the run-chase, Pandya (90) fell short by 10 runs to record his maiden ODI ton.
