Vivo IPL 2021: Hardik Pandya not completely fit for bowling in the IPL 2021: Mahela Jayawardene

Hardik Pandya not completely fit for bowling in the IPL 2021: Mahela Jayawardene.

Vivo IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene on Friday said that the franchise is in no hurry to push all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the bowling role. Pandya, if forced to bowl, might struggle which may put his World Cup 2021 outing at risk.

The all-rounder was rested in the first two matches of Mumbai Indians (MI) due to incomplete fitness while he made his return in the third game as a pure batter in the side. 

The Indian selectors, though, have stated that Pandya is fully fit for bowling in the upcoming T20 World Cup, Jayawardene, Mumbai’s coach thinks otherwise. The franchise took extra precautions for its players, especially, when the T20 World Cup 2021 is just a few weeks away from here. 

MI is constantly in touch with BCCI and the Indian management over the workload management of the players. Rohit Sharma was also rested in the first match of Mumbai Indians as a precautionary measure.

“He (Hardik) hasn’t bowled for a long period of time, so we are just trying to do the best for Hardik. We are in constant touch with the Indian team management on Hardik’s case,” he told reporters during a virtual press conference ahead of the title holder’s next game against Delhi Capitals here on Saturday.

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“Whether he will bowl in the IPL or not we will look on a daily basis. I feel at the moment if we push him too hard, he might struggle.”

Since Hardik’s back injury in 2019, the all-rounder has struggled miserably in bowling. He is not quite active in the bowling department, however, he has always looked good to bat. Though he continued full strength bowling during India vs England T20I series, earlier this year, that didn’t last long for him.

Mumbai Indians (MI) middle-order woes:

Lately, Hardik Pandya has been off touch with his bat as well. The cricketer performed a flop show in phase one of the IPL 2021. His second leg outing in his two matches has not been encouraging either. 

Besides Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have also looked out of form in this leg. The two cricketers, who used to be the vital cog in Mumbai Indians’ success over the years, have failed badly to find their best touch.

Owing to Ishan’s poor performance, he was benched in the last match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Saurabh Tiwary was called back to the playing11.

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