Pandya was last seen in action at the T20 World Cup 2021.
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday (23rd March) said that Team India needs an all-rounder at No. 6 for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. He feels that Hardik Pandya needs to chip in with the ball as he will find it difficult to make it into XI as a pure batter.
It’s fair to say Team India of late has struggled to find a quality fast bowling all-rounder. The emergence of Hardik Pandya seemed to have solved the problem but his fitness issues have kept him out of the side for a while now. The management has failed to find his replacement.
With T20 World Cup 2022 just few months away from now, Indian management will be looking for players who can fit into the number 6 spot and bring balance into the team.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Ravi Shastri pointed out that Team India will be looking for an all-rounder at No.6 for the T20 World Cup 2022. He highlighted that the team needs someone from the top-five who can bowl 2-3 overs to take pressure off the captain.
“I think the all-rounder’s position at No. 6 for sure. Ideally someone in the top-five who can bowl two or three overs. That takes the pressure off the captain. It gives him then six and a half bowlers from whom he can choose.
“That will be one area I’ll be looking at very closely. And of course the fast bowling and fielding. I’m not really worried about the batting. Batting is there,” Ravi Shastri said.
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Hardik Pandya didn’t feature in any match after the T20 World Cup 2021. The all-rounder has been on the sidelines due to injury concerns. The Gujarat Titans skipper of late have been working hard on his fitness and recently it was reported that he cleared the Yo-Yo test at NCA. He’s also likely to bowl in the upcoming IPL 2022.
Shastri talked about how there are many options available in the top and middle order in India's white-ball teams, making it "extremely important" for the next batters, like Hardik Pandya, to have at least decent bowling contributions.
“In the top five, there’s a lot of muscle there. If anyone’s occupying the position Nos. 5, 6 onwards, he’ll have to bring that extra department to the game.
“That is why from Hardik’s point of view, from India’s point of view, from the Gujarat team’s point of view, it’s extremely important that he strings those two or three overs together because if he does and bowls with even limited success, he becomes an automatic choice in the Indian team,” he said.
(ESPNCricinfo/PTI inputs)