Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is very close to regaining full fitness ahead of the IPL. He is closely working with Paras Mhambrey, who was India’s bowling coach during the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka. Hardik is currently in the UAE with the Mumbai Indians squad for the remaining leg of IPL 2021. Pandya also played in the series against Sri Lanka and was seen to bowl a few overs.
Speaking to New Indian Express, Paras Mhambrey updated o Hardik Pandya’s fitness ahead of the IPL and the T20 World Cup 2021.
“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,” said Paras.
Hardik Pandya With His Bowling Brings A Different Dimension: Paras Mhambrey
The Indian bowling coach further spoke about the utility of Hardik Pandya in the Indian team with his all-round abilities.
“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,” said Mhambrey to IANS.
A severe back injury ruled Hardik Pandya out of the Indian Test team. Indian skipper Virat Kohli spoke extensively about Pandya’s role in the Indian Test side saying that his bowling brings greater balance to the team than his batting in the format.
He bowled in the white-ball series against Sri Lanka as well as a few overs against England at home. He bowled 14 overs in the three ODIs — two wickets at an average of 48.5 and economy rate of 6.92 — and two overs in one T20I. Pandya bowled 17 overs in the five T20 Internationals, picking three wickets and conceding runs at 6.94.
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