National Cricket Academy (NCA) bowling coach Paras Mhambrey considers that IPL 2021 will give Indian cricket a proper idea of how much Hardik Pandya can be used as a bowler at the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya has bowled sparingly enough over the last year, having experienced back surgery in 2019. He will next be viewed in action in the 2nd half of IPL 2021, which begins on September 19 in the UAE.
Talking to IANS, Mhambrey opined that Mumbai Indians (MI) will positively use Hardik Pandya’s services as a bowler. He said:
“With Hardik, we are obviously slowly taking it forward. I am not going to push him in terms of the number of overs to be bowled. He is pretty much being monitored on how much we are going to push him.
“We have to slowly build up. The World Cup is coming. For us, knowing that he is going to play a very crucial role for us, it is important to manage his bowling workload very well.”
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Hardik Pandya brings a various dimensions as a bowler: Paras Mhambrey
The former India pacer took that, as a batter itself, Hardik Pandya has a chance to offer to the Indian team. However, opined that adding bowling skills give a different extent to him as a cricketer. Mhambrey added:
“We know the batting that he offers you. But if we add the bowling to it, he brings a different dimension. In that sense we are working on it. Everyone — strength & conditioning department and the physios — is in sync and we have chatted it out.”
In Sri Lanka, Hardik Pandya bowled 14 overs in 3-ODIs and claimed 2 wickets at an average of 48.5 and an economy rate of 6.92. He also sent down two overs in one T20I.
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Also read:- Rahul Dravid statement for NCA’s head of cricket role