IND vs WI | Kedar Jadhav needs to be bowling more overs, opines Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh believes that Kedar Jadhav should be bowling more for team India as there are many promising batsmen waiting to pounce on an opportunity at No.6. Jadhav bowled just a single over on a traditionally slow Chepauk pitch despite having already proven the prowess of his golden arm.
Kedar Jadhav made an impact immediately after his return from his hamstring injury as he steadied the Indian innings towards the fag end of the Chennai encounter versus the Windies. But many questions have been raised over the utilisation of his golden arm which has proved to be a game-changer for India on numerous occasions in the past.
Jadhav bowled just one over, where he conceded 11 runs, on a slow Chepauk pitch against West Indies, and former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that skipper Virat Kohli should utilize him more often. He opined that the Maharashtra batter should have bowled some more overs instead of debutant Shivam Dube and felt that it could have turned the game in the hosts‘ favour.
"Kedar is most effective when the wicket is low and slow. I believe that he could have been given a few more overs by the captain. I am not saying Kedar doesn't fit into the team but he has to bowl more," TOI quoted Harbhajan as saying.
"It is because purely as no 6 batsman, when I look around I see a few options like Manish Pandey or Sanju Samson. Even Rishabh (Pant) at times won't be a bad no 6 batsman.
"I feel rather than young Shivam Dube, Kedar could have been given a few more overs. Had your lead bowler given away 11 in his first over, you would have given him another over. Also I feel for Dube but if he gets as many chances as Hardik, he will also improve," Harbhajan added.
Former Indian cricketers Deep Dasgupta and Irfan Pathan also shared their opinion on the same and while Dasgupta feels that Jadhav needs to be bowling more, Pathan believes that thanks to his average of 42, the 34-year-old warrants a place as a specialist batsman.
"For me, Kedar is the best no 6 in all the options that we have. But he needs to bowl more. If he is not going to be a sixth bowling option who gives at least five to six overs per game, then there is no point, The team management should rather groom a youngster keeping T20 World Cup in mind," Dasgupta said.
"I would take an average of 42 plus in ODI cricket any day. Even in Chennai he batted well for his 40 runs. I don't see any reason why he needs to be replaced," said Pathan.