T20 World Cup: Hardik Pandya unlikely to play as pure batsman; Thakur an choice

Hardik Pandya is unlikely to play purely as a batsman on this T20 World Cup. The Indian Express understands that the workforce administration has taken the decision after the loss to Pakistan within the opening sport.
Pandya, who began bowling on the nets on Wednesday, might be monitored throughout apply periods within the lead-up to India’s subsequent sport towards New Zealand on Sunday. If the workforce administration is satisfied about his bowling health, solely then will he be included within the workforce.
At the identical time, Shardul Thakur, too, might be watched intently on the nets, as he’s tipped to be Pandya’s alternative if the latter fails to make the lower.
After a protracted hole, Pandya, finally bowled on the nets throughout India’s coaching session yesterday. Bowling in high-intensity matches, nonetheless, is a distinct ball sport and the workforce administration must be satisfied about his match readiness.
Yesterday’s web session was primarily about specializing in the allrounder’s power and conditioning, with a watch to regularly develop his peak bowling health.
The 28-year-old has bowled simply 19 overs in seven T20Is this yr, and 23 overs in six One-Day Internationals. He didn’t bowl in any respect on this yr’s Indian Premier League season. And but, whereas selecting the squad for the ICC occasion, nationwide selector Chetan Sharma had backed him to bowl his overs on the T20 World Cup.
“Hardik is fit and will bowl the full quota of his overs,” Sharma had mentioned on the squad announcement.
But because the event approached, unsure about Pandya, the choice committee began to stress over the inclusion of an extra quick bowler and accordingly Thakur was drafted into the squad on the expense of Axar Patel, whose World Cup hopes crashed abruptly.
Bereft of a sixth bowling choice, Virat Kohli put up a courageous entrance forward of India’s event opener, saying that No. 6 being a specialist’s place, the workforce had completely no drawback to play Pandya solely as a batsman, gaining from his death-overs hitting expertise. The India captain rubbished the suggestion that Pandya could be ignored if he didn’t bowl.

“These things (uncertainty over Pandya’s selection) from a talking or discussion point of view, feel very interesting that if he doesn’t bowl, will he be left out. But we understand the value he brings to the team as a No. 6 batter and in world cricket, if you look around, there are specialists who do that job,” Kohli had mentioned.
Following a 10-wicket hammering towards Pakistan, the place on a dew-soaked Dubai pitch, India badly missed a sixth bowler, the workforce administration, it’s learnt, is looking for a Plan B. And Thakur might match into that plan.
Thakur is a really respectable lower-order batsman, adequate to vary the course of a match in Test cricket, as he did towards Australia on the Gabba earlier this yr and extra lately towards England on the Oval. Of course, Pandya boasts a strike-rate north of 145 in T20Is and he’s a match-winner solely together with his batting on his day. But his current batting kind has not been as much as normal, as a tally of 127 runs in 12 matches on the IPL would attest.
At the second although, after a impolite awakening, the Indian think-tank appears to be extra involved in regards to the workforce’s bowling imbalance and Thakur, who had 21 scalps from 16 video games throughout Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning marketing campaign this yr, might present an answer.
A persistent again drawback, which first surfaced throughout an Asia Cup sport towards Pakistan in Dubai three years in the past that pressured Pandya to be stretchered off, has chequered the participant’s profession. For now nonetheless, the main focus shifts on India’s back-up plan, with Thakur getting additional minutes with the bat throughout the coaching session, and likewise entering into the nets early, in contrast to a tail-ender. For India, Sunday’s sport is a digital quarterfinal.