Dubai – United Arab Emirates, First Published Oct 30, 2021, 5:03 PM IST
Dubai: The fitness of Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is a hot topic at the T20 World Cup 2021. But former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan shares his hopes for Hardik, who started bowling on the net. Zaheer is expected to bowl Hardik in Sunday’s match against New Zealand.
Zaheer with optimism
‘There is a rumor that Hardik Pandya will bowl at some point in the World Cup. You can see when he’s going to bowl. Hardik has started bowling in the net. He is expected to bowl in the next match against New Zealand. When Hardik bowls, the team becomes more balanced and stronger. Whichever team you look at, they have six bowling options. But India has only five. So it will be a great relief for the team if Hardik starts bowling, ”Zaheer Khan said in a discussion on Cricketbus.
Hardik’s fitness was further questioned after he was injured during the match against Pakistan. However, he resumed training after winning the fitness test. The fitness test was supervised by team physio Nitin Patel and assistant trainer Soham Desai and lasted for 20 minutes. Bowling training was with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Captain Virat Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri and team adviser MS Dhoni closely watched Hardik’s bowling.
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IPL without even a ball
Hardik last bowled during the tour of Sri Lanka in July. He did not bowl a single ball for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which ended in the UAE just before the T20 World Cup. A few days ago, Virat Kohli had said that Hardik’s fitness would improve to the point where he could bowl at least two overs at any stage of the World Cup.
The India-New Zealand battle for life is on Sunday in Dubai. The match between India and New Zealand was decisive with the loss to Pakistan. India will take on the Kiwis on Sunday, Afghanistan on November 3, Scotland on November 5 and Namibia on November 8. New Zealand have a slight lead over India in the T20s.
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Last Updated Oct 30, 2021, 5:07 PM IST
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