India had a woeful outing against Pakistan in their first match of the T20 World Cup. They were handed a 10-wicket defeat by the Pakistani batsmen, who chased down the target set by the Indian batters in their 20 overs, with 2 overs to spare. This was followed by severe criticism of the Indian team, especially the selection of Hardik Pandya. The Allrounder has clearly been out of touch with the bat in his hand, this was evident in the IPL itself, and after suffering a back injury has been ruled out as a bowler too. This has removed one complete dimension of his game and has turned him into a two-dimensional player who can only contribute with the bat and on the field.
#India’s star all-rounder @hardikpandya7 looks a step closer to a bowling return 🚨#T20WorldCuphttps://t.co/iyQRx2LG0B
— ICC (@ICC) October 29, 2021
With his back against the wall, Hardik has decided to prove his critics wrong. And to do that, he decided to pick up the ball. In a recent post on social media by ICC’s official handle, Hardik Pandya was seen bowling in the net sessions of the Indian team albeit from a small run-up. Pandya’s bowling can be a huge boost for the Indian team who are currently playing a side which only has 5 bowlers. In case one of these bowlers has a bad day, they need to have that 6th bowler who can give them an extra cushion. Hardik Pandya has been that bowler in the past. Every Indian Cricket team fan remembers that one glorious match in which he bowled the last over against Bangladesh, which India won with 1 run.
Virat Kohli too believes in the abilities of Pandya. Speaking ahead of the match against Pakistan, ICC quoted Kohli saying that fans might get to see Pandya bowling as the tournament progresses.
■■■■■■■■■■■□□□ LOADING@hardikpandya7 | #TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/hlwtrGDfNR
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 28, 2021
