File photo of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya's images while bowling in the nets have served as a treat to the eyes for Indian fans. The same has ignited hopes for an extra bowling option in India's upcoming clash against New Zealand on October 31, Sunday, in Dubai. After a hammering 10-wicket defeat against Pakistan that saw an off-shore performance from the blue brigade's core bowling line-up, Pandya rolling his arms in the nets has come as welcome news.
Ever since Pandya has sustained a back injury in 2019, he hasn't been in regular action with the ball. Further his shoulder injury that he picked up during India-Pakistan match further aggravated the issue. However, good sense has prevailed for the 'men in blue' as the 28-year old if fully fit and ready to bowl.
His recent bowling stint surfaced when Pandya bowled 16 overs across three ODIs and a T20I during India's tour of Sri Lanka in July. The right-arm pacer, however, did not bowl a single over in the UAE leg of the IPL for Mumbai Indians.
India Squad For T20 World Cup 2021: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami, Shardul Thakur.
Standby players: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar.
