'He Hasn't Bowled Even..', Ex-Opener Highlights a Flaw in Hardik Pandya

image-llte9dx4Hardik Pandya will be in action for India in the Asia Cup 2023. (X.com)

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that Hardik Pandya stands among the top all-rounders for the World Cup 2023. However, he emphasises the importance of Pandya increasing his bowling workload compared to the limited overs he has bowled in the past year.

Pandya is the vice-captain of the India team for the upcoming Asia Cup and is widely expected to secure a spot in the World Cup squad. He's likely to be the primary batting all-rounder within the top six, capable of contributing significant overs with the ball.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Aakash discussed some of the most promising all-rounders expected to feature in the global 50-over extravaganza. On Pandya, the renowned commentator highlighted his recent statistics, emphasising that the 29-year-old has bowled only 44 overs in eight ODIs over the past year. 

He expressed concern over the average of 5.5 overs per match, stating that it wasn't an ideal figure.

"Hardik Pandya has played eight ODIs in the last year. He has scored 198 runs, including a half-century, and taken nine wickets. So, he averages nearly a wicket per game and has bowled 44 overs. However, he hasn't bowled even six overs per game, which is not a great thing. India would expect more bowling contribution from him. He sometimes opens the bowling and faces around 25-30 balls per match. He's doing a job, which isn't a negative aspect at all,"  said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

After recuperating from a back problem, Pandya has minimised his bowling to prevent a relapse of the back injury that sidelined him for a prolonged period. In his last 11 ODIs, Pandya has captured ten wickets, with his best performance being a 3-44 spell in the third ODI against Australia earlier this year, during which he bowled more than seven overs for the only time.

Pandya has participated in 77 ODI matches, accumulating 1666 runs at an average of 33.32 and a strike rate of 112.03. Additionally, he has secured 73 wickets at an average of 38.06 and an economy rate of 5.59. Being the only seam-bowling all-rounder, Pandya is likely to significantly impact India's pursuit of an ICC championship.