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‘Being a Turtle, Not Rabbit..’ - Hardik Pandya On Bowling Workload Ahead of World Cup 2023

image-lkoywfu0Suryakumar Yadav (L) and Hardik Pandya | Source: Twitter 

Team India's decision to rest Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the second ODI match against West Indies proved costly. The Men in Blue, batting first, were bowled out for just 181 runs in 40.3 overs, and West Indies chased down this target with six wickets in hand in 36.4 overs.  

Shardul Thakur stood out as the top performer among the Indian bowlers, claiming three wickets in eight overs, while Kuldeep Yadav also contributed with one wicket. The stand-in captain, Hardik Pandya, couldn't get a breakthrough from the 6.4 overs he bowled, but he effectively contained the West Indies batters with his disciplined bowling.

Meanwhile, the Baroda all-rounder revealed that he is not pushing himself too hard and adopting a 'turtle' approach. He is hopeful that by the time the 2023 ODI World Cup starts, his body will have developed the stamina to bowl ten overs regularly. 


Here’s what Pandya said in the post-match presser

“Body is fine, I have to bowl more overs to get ready for the ODI World Cup. I am being a turtle right now not the rabbit and hoping by the time the world cup comes, everything goes well.” 

Hardik Pandya, who assumed the captaincy in Rohit Sharma's absence, also acknowledged that the pitch during the second ODI was quite challenging for the batters and most of them struggled to cope with the conditions.  

“We didn’t bat in the way we were supposed to. Wickets played really well, don’t think It was like the first game, ball coming nicely on the bat and got much better in the second innings. It’s just that barring Shubman Gill everyone kind of played their shots and got out or found the fielders."

Notably, India made a strong start with a splendid 90-run opening stand between Ishan Kishan (55) and Shubman Gill (34). However, after their dismissals, the Men in Blue suffered a batting collapse, getting bundled out for 181 runs in 40.5 overs.


Weighing in on the Gill and Kishan partnership, Pandya said: 

“The way they opened batted throughout, the way Kishan batted, the confidence he’s been carrying since IPL, it’s important for Indian cricket as well. (Shardul) Thakur coming in and kept our hopes alive. Unfortunately (Shai) Hope batted well, they held their nerves and got the score.”  

Now that the series is levelled at 1-1, the focus shifts to the third and final ODI, where it remains to be seen whether the Indian management stays committed to experimenting with their batting line-up or reverts to the tried-and-tested order.