T20 World Cup 2021: "If he can't bowl, they should not play him": Brad Hogg not open to the idea of Hardik Pandya playing as a pure batter
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg is not the biggest fan of Hardik Pandya playing in at No. 6 as a pure batter. Team India are left with a huge selection headache in terms of their sixth bowler. They experimented with Virat Kohli in the second warm-up game against Australia.
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Hogg believes that rather than playing Pandya at No.6 as a pure batter, India should promote Jadeja to his spot and play Shardul Thakur at No.7. He added that Bhuvneshwar Kumar's form and the fact that he is unable to find any swing are notable concerns. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:
"I'm a little worried about Bhuvneshwar coming into the tournament with the amount of cricket that he has played and if it is not swinging, how is he going to counteract that. Final concern is Hardik Pandya coming in at No.6. If he can't bowl, they should not play him. They should have Jadeja at No.6 and Thakur at No.7."
Hogg also feels that after the fixed positions of the top three in the Indian batting unit, Rishabh Pant will be batting at No.4. The wicket-keeper batter did not avail a chance to bat at length with the top order doing the work in both chases during the warm-up games. Hogg added:
"Their strengths are obviously their top 4 in Rohit, Rahul, Kohli and Pant's going to bat at No.4. Pant is a big one. Yes, he is a constructive player, but also in the IPL, he has shown that he can play a little conservatively when the team is on the back foot and get the momentum back."
India will open their campaign with a high-octane clash against Pakistan on Sunday (October 24) in Dubai.
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Hogg heaped praise on Pakistan's potent and versatile bowling attack. But at the same time he expressed concern over the early middle order spots in the batting order. He explained:
"Their strengths are their opening batsman in Rizwan and Babar Azam. Their bowling is very strong, perhaps the best bowling lineup going into the tournament. They have good balance in their pace department. No.3 and 4 is a concern, will Fakhar Zaman be able to deliver at No. 3 and deliver, that's a big question. Paksitan should play Haider Ali at No.4 and allow him to play with freedom."
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Hogg noted that Pakistan have a very cruel fixture list planned for them as they have to face India, New Zealand and Afghanistan in a row across different venues. He feels that if they defeat India in their opening contest, they will make it to the semi-finals of the tournament.