IPL 2022: "When I saw him in Baroda, he was good" - Ashish Nehra on Hardik Pandya's prospects of bowling

Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra has given Hardik Pandya's bowling his vote of confidence ahead of IPL 2022. Titans skipper Hardik Pandya has been facing issues with his shoulder for quite some time now and didn't bowl much in the previous season.

The Baroda-born all-rounder, who hasn't played for India since November, has also struggled for form. Hence, it would be interesting to see how he justifies his price tag of ₹15 crore.

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The Delhi-born former cricketer shared Hardik Pandya's fitness status, saying he was bowling comfortably a few weeks ago. Nehra, who was in favor of playing Pandya purely as a batter, believes the all-rounder's bowling could be a 'surprise'.

"When I saw him in Baroda, he was good, bowling around 80%. That was a few weeks back and he was feeling really comfortable. Since then he went to the NCA and has been practising non-stop. He has used this word, 'surprise', once or twice, so I jokingly asked him, 'What is this surprise?'

"From day one I have been saying, in any T20 squad, I will take Hardik Pandya as a pure batter. As far as our franchise is concerned, I am looking at him more as a captain and batsman. And maybe that is why he is saying his bowling is a 'surprise'," Nehra told ESPN Cricinfo.

The former RCB bowling coach also hailed Mohammed Shami and his evolution over the last few years. Nehra thinks getting Shami at ₹6.25 crore was a steal.

"I have played with him in my last few years. In the last three or four years the kind of experience and the kind of maturity he has shown... the two fast bowlers in India we always discuss are Shami and Bumrah. And it is not one or two series.

"The kind of fitness he has shown, the kind of long spells he has shown, it is really exciting to see. The price we got him for was a steal. For this team, he is a senior pro," he said.

The Titans suffered an early jolt as opener Jason Roy withdrew from the competition. The franchise roped in Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz to replace the England batter.

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Ashish Nehra opines on Shubman Gill's strike rate

When asked about Shubman Gill's debatable strike rate, the 42-year old said a lot of it depends on the conditions and match situation. Nehra reflected on Gill's IPL strike rate of 123 and backed him to get better.

He said:

"When you discuss strike rate in T20, it all depends on the conditions and the match situation. Sometimes that strike rate is good for certain grounds, for a certain player of a certain team. Here you are talking about Gill, who is 22. He is only going to get better. He had a great three-four years with KKR.

"But from our side it is not only about the numbers - that your strike rate has to be this much. I mean, there can be a turning wicket and it could be only a 130-run game and he scores a 50-ball fifty… you have to consider such things and then analyse."

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Gill was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders since debuting in the IPL in 2018. In 58 matches, he has 1417 runs at 31.49.

Meanwhile, the Titans will open their IPL 2022 schedule against the Lucknow Super Giants on Monday in Mumbai.