Mumbai Indians might not have more than an outside chance of making it to the playoffs of IPL 2024. But their win and performance of certain players must have pleased the Indian fans with just over three weeks to go for the T20 World Cup. More than anyone, MI skipper Hardik Pandya has been under the scanner for a host of reasons and to make things worse, his form with both bat and ball didn't inspire much confidence either.
There were question marks over his fitness and also his place in the squad solely on the basis of his performance in the ongoing edition. But ever since India's squad was announced on April 30, a different Hardik is taking the field it seems. While some of his decisions as captain can still be argued, the fact that he has started bowling four overs regularly is a very good news for the men in blue.
Hardik Pandya's bowling performance before and after T20 World Cup squad announcement
| Before T20 World Cup squad announcement | 227 runs, 4 wickets in 19 overs (7 innings) |
| After T20 World Cup Squad announcement | 101 runs, 7 wickets in 12 overs (3 innings) |
Prior to the squad announcement, the MI captain didn't bowl in two matches while he bowled his full quota of four overs only in two out of seven other innings. He had conceded 227 runs in 19 overs and picked up only four wickets until then. Since April 30, the all-rounder has sent down four overs in each of the three matches and has managed to pick seven wickets in 12 overs conceding 101 runs. The numbers in matches played post the squads announcement are much better.
Then what changed since April 30? Was it the World Cup selection or being retained as vice-captain? Or was it the concerted effort from Hardik Pandya to increase his workload gradually? Whatever the reason, Hardik Pandya returning to his best form with the ball is a great news for Indian cricket. He is yet to set the stage on fire with the bat mustering only 198 runs in 12 innings but India won't worry much about his batting form as the man has usually fared decently. Hardik returning to full fitness and bowling four overs is massive to the balance of the Indian team and the same is happening now it seems.
