ICC World Cup 2019 | Hardik Pandya has been excellent under pressure, states Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has revealed that it is Hardik Pandya’s cool temperament and his ability to anticipate the batsman’s next move that has led to the skipper placing so much faith in him with the ball. Earlier, Bharat Arun had said that Pandya’s toil has prepared him enough to bowl the full 10 overs.
Though Hardik Pandya is known for his affinity to entertainment and casual attitude off the field, his hard work behind the doors and the desire to win games for India has really come to the fore in the ongoing World Cup. Having been dropped some months ago for some controversial comments, Pandya has bounced back as if he was never gone and has more than cemented his place in the national team.
His explosive batting would have been enough to get him into most teams in the world but his ability to bowl at crucial times and deliver for the team gives him the edge over many others. In fact, Virat Kohli’s confidence in the 25-year-old was reflected in his decision to drop both Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav against Bangladesh and go with four specialist fast bowlers. This automatically meant that Pandya would be entrusted with the responsibility of bowling his full quota of 10 overs.
"We experienced that Hardik, when put under pressure has come back really well in this tournament," Kohli said of what prompted him to take the decision, reported India Today.
"He finds a way to contain the runs and get you wickets. He’s really looking forward to do stuff for the team, that’s really helping his cricket," the skipper added.
The move paid off as Pandya ended up taking three wickets, including the all-important scalp of set batsman Shakib Al Hasan. It took his haul to eight wickets in the mega event, having also scored at an average of 30-plus and strike rate of nearly 140 with the bat.Â
"When he comes to bowl, he thinks like a batsman. He actually wants the ball under pressure because he thinks like a batter, so he can check their body language and know what to bowl and when. He’s bowling really well for us," Kohli concluded on the matter in the post-match press conference.
Previously, bowling coach Bharat Arun had also explained how Pandya has been working hard constantly to be able to do something special for the team.
"It was a big challenge for him to bowl those 10 overs, and he realised that to be able to bowl those 10 overs I need to develop a certain armoury in my bowling. And that’s what he’s worked on. He’s worked on his slow balls, his slow bouncers, and he’s also worked on perfecting his bouncers," Arun had stated.
