India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has not bowled in the ongoing ODI series against England and former cricketer Virender Sehwag is surprised with the decision.
After the defeat in the second ODI, India captain Virat Kohli clarified team management's decision to not bowl Hardik in the ODI series. He said that the decision is a part of managing the all-rounder's workload for the coming months.
Sehwag, speaking on Cricbuzz, wasn't satisfied with Kohli's statement and said India isn't going to play for the next few months. He added that fielding for 50 overs also takes a toll on the body and they should have given Hardik at least 3-4 overs.
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"But India isn’t playing any cricket in the next few months! We only have the IPL next. So you are saying that we have no problem losing the ODI series because we had to manage Hardik Pandya’s workload. If his workload doesn’t include 4-5 overs then it’s wrong. He is trying to say that India is trying to manage the workload of every bowler and the same is for Hardik Pandya.
"But it also shouldn’t be the case that he isn’t bowling even a single over. Fielding for 50 overs also causes fatigue. So if he adds 4-5 overs to it, it shouldn’t make a huge difference on his workload," he said. India had used Hardik as the 5th bowler in the T20I series and he performed decently.
Sehwag doesn't think Hardik has taken too much load ever since his return from the injury. He feels the all-rounder might have asked for a break before the Indian Premier League 2021.
"I don’t know who decides that Hardik Pandya’s workload has become excessive. Since he has come back from his [back] surgery, he hasn’t played much cricket. He sat out in the Tests, played the 5 T20Is, and bowled in 2-3 of those… so he hasn’t taken any load yet.
"I can understand if he is playing constantly and is playing every format but at the moment he has only bowled 4-4 overs in 3-4 T20I games. But yes, this is a possibility that he himself might have asked for a break from bowling in the ODIs to prevent any injuries before the IPL," he said.
Indian bowlers struggled to defend 337 against England in the second ODI. Jonny Bairstow (124) and Ben Stokes (99) had destroyed the Indian bowling attack with unstoppable hitting. They will meet again in the third ODI on Sunday and the winner will take the series.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
