India Look to Hardik Pandya for Tactical Flex in World Cup 2023
India Look to Hardik Pandya for Tactical Flex in World Cup 2023
In the days before India’s World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai, Hardik Pandya has been working diligently. Three days before the game, he bowled furiously in the humid afternoon hours, and the next day, he doubled up with an additional session of death overs batting.
The sessions by themselves weren’t noticeably different, but their intensity attracted people’s attention. This is particularly true given the tournament’s extended league schedule of nine matches and India’s propensity to keep their top seam-bowling all-rounder under wraps ever since his recovery from a protracted back injury in 2020.
It is impossible to overstate the vice-captain’s contribution to India’s cause. On a pitch that doesn’t look all that different from the one these two teams played on in March of this year, Rohit Sharma will be able to field all three spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and R. Ashwin in the opening match against Australia on Sunday. Pandya is scheduled to play as the frontline third seamer in that match.
Rohit supported Pandya’s ability to play as a frontline fast bowler, one who didn’t necessarily have to share the third seamer duties with someone like Shardul Thakur. Of course, India hasn’t made up its mind and late evening rains on match day could yet force a late change.
Even though Pandya’s amount of overs per game has decreased, the figures show a considerable improvement in his bowling results. In 19 games over the past two years, he has an average of 21.95, which is notably lower than his career average of 36.03 at a significantly higher strike rate.
In addition to returning his best ODI stats of 4 for 24 in Manchester last year, he has bowled 10 of his 15 career maidens during this time. Pandya has recently used the ball to impact games at the Asia Cup when, in a tense Super-Four match against Sri Lanka, he stepped in for a careless Axar Patel and unleashed a fierce spell to swing the game India’s way.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that’s the luxury we have since I don’t really think of Hardik Pandya as just a seamer. He can accelerate quickly and bowls like a true fast bowler. So that provides us a benefit,” Rohit stated on October 7th.
We may play three spinners and three seamers on this pitch, which would give us balance and a number eight batting option. We’ll need to assess the pitch again tomorrow, but three spinners are definitely an option.
Rohit Sharma has emphasized the importance of tactical flexibility for India in the upcoming ODI World Cup. He has said that the team’s core will remain the same, but there may be one or two changes depending on the conditions and opposition. He has also stressed the importance of focusing on one match at a time.
In other words, Rohit is saying that the team will be prepared to adapt to different conditions and opponents by making changes to the playing XI as needed. He is also saying that the team will not be looking too far ahead, but will instead focus on one match at a time. This is a sensible approach, as the World Cup is a long tournament and there are many factors that can affect the outcome of a match.
Read This: Hardik Pandya Blasts WICB for ‘Basic Necessities’ Blunder
