T20 World Cup 2021: "He's not a 100 per cent when it comes to his bowling" - Team India source gives a major update regarding Hardik Pandya's fitness
The Indian think tank expects star all-rounder Hardik Pandya to play the finisher's role in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. Pandya is currently not in a position to bowl, owing to his lower-back problems.
A source from the Indian camp recently verified the same in a conversation with ANI. The source revealed that while Hardik Pandya is still not cleared to bowl, he will play as a batsman in the team. The Indian team management wants the 28-year-old to play as a finisher in the showpiece event.
The source also pointed out that the player's fitness will be assessed during the ICC event. However, it remains unlikely that Pandya will be considered a bowling option for Virat Kohli, looking at his current progress.
"He's not a 100 per cent when it comes to his bowling, so it will be a finisher's role for Hardik in this World Cup. We will keep assessing him as we progress, but at present, the team will look at him as a batsman who comes in and looks to play the finisher's role just like MS Dhoni did over the years."
Pandya was part of the Mumbai Indians side for the latest edition of the Indian Premier League. While he played 12 matches for his side this season, he did not bowl a single delivery in those appearances.
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Shardul Thakur replaces Axar Patel in India's squad for T20 World Cup 2021
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the announcement of Shardul Thakur's inclusion in the T20 World Cup 2021 India squad on Wednesday (October 13). The right-arm seamer will replace Axar Patel in the 15-member squad.
🚨 NEWS 🚨: Shardul Thakur replaces Axar Patel in #TeamIndia's World Cup squad. #T20WorldCup
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Here is the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 teams & their updated squads.
Patel has now been moved to the list of stand-by players for the tournament. With doubts looming over Hardik Pandya's bowling, Thakur now gives Kohli an extra pacer in the squad. The selectors had named just three fast bowlers in Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the initial squad.
Here's India's full squad:
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.
Stand-by players: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel.