Hardik Pandya should play without constant pressure of bowling four overs every game: Ashish Nehra – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Former India bowler Ashish Nehra has bit of an of advice for the Indian team management. The left-arm pacer has suggested Hardik Pandya shouldn’t be burdened with the extra responsibility of bowling the four overs in T20Is.

“We always talk about Hardik Pandya, whether he will be able to bowl or not. See, what I think is that Pandya can fit into any format as a batsman; even in Test matches. But here, we are talking about T20s. If he bowls, it will obviously be beneficial for India,” Nehra said on Cricbuzz.

Nehra said Pandya can be used as the sixth bowler but there shouldn’t be any extra pressure on him to complete his quota of four overs.

“With India’s squad composition, they need Hardik Pandya because none of their top-order batters bowl. Hardik is used as a fifth-bowler quite often. If he’s fit, he should bowl, no doubt. But it would be better if Hardik plays without the constant pressure of bowling four overs every game. You have to play five bowlers and Hardik Pandya as a sixth bowler,” said Nehra.

The former India bowler further added that it would be a better option if the management builds him up slowly.

“See, I’m not saying Hardik can’t be the fifth bowler. With his skills, he can be your second or third bowler as well. But he has recently returned from injury, has played the entire IPL, so it would be better if you build him up slowly.”

Hardik led Gujarat Titans to the title in their debut season. Owing to his brilliant performance as the captain in IPL, the right-handed all-rounder was named the vice-captain of the Indian team that will take on South Africa in five-match T20Is.

The home side suffered a blow after stand-in captain KL Rahul was ruled out of the series due to injury and Rishabh Pant was handed over the captaincy. The series is scheduled to begin on Thursday (9 June) in Delhi.

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.