As India continues to impress in the ongoing ODI World Cup, former wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has highlighted the invaluable contribution of Hardik Pandya's bowling skills. India, led by skipper Rohit Sharma, has won their first three matches and is set to face Bangladesh in Pune on Thursday, October 19.
Hardik Pandya has been a key player, consistently playing the role of the third seamer in the lineup. In the field, Rohit Sharma has often turned to Hardik to deliver vital overs. Deep Dasgupta expressed his thoughts on Hardik's bowling prowess, describing it as a significant positive for the Indian team.
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Dasgupta, speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues,' had this to say about Hardik's bowling impact: “There are no two opinions about it. Hardik – the all-rounder, the batting is there in any case and along with bowling as you said. I felt he was not getting his rhythm slightly in the first match in the first one or two overs and then he has come back in the second match and bowled well against Pakistan as well.”
Hardik Pandya's mind works like a leader: Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta went on to explain the crucial aspect of Hardik Pandya's approach, highlighting his captaincy skills when bowling. “His mind works like a leader. It is very important that a bowler captains his overs and Hardik does that. When he is bowling, he would set the field accordingly. It is a great help for the captain if a bowler captains his overs. He should know where he is going to bowl his six balls and what field he needs.”
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Hardik Pandya's impact has been evident in the tournament, with five wickets to his name at an impressive average of 21.00. He has consistently contributed with the ball, never going wicketless in any of the games. His standout performance came against Pakistan, where he recorded figures of 2/34.
Regarding India's bowling attack, Dasgupta pointed out that, except for Mohammed Siraj, all bowlers have been impressive. He emphasized that the entire bowling unit, from the start to the end, has been in fine form.
Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja have shone with their contributions. He added that Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin have also performed well in the matches they've played.
Dasgupta concluded by highlighting the overall strength of India's bowling unit and expressed hope that Mohammed Siraj would soon find his rhythm and start picking up wickets in his first spell. With such a well-rounded bowling attack, India appears to be in an excellent position as they progress through the ODI World Cup.
