Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer is surprised by the utilization of the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the bowling department against West Indies in the 1st ODI of the three-match series. The 29-year-old bowled with the new ball for the Indian team picking up the crucial wicket of Kyle Mayers in his opening spell.
Hardik Pandya has proved to be an X-factor that the Indian team required for a long time in white-ball cricket, as the Gujarat Titans skipper proved to be a proper 6th bowling option in the team, who can provide vital breakthroughs with the new ball and old ball for the team and takes on the high-quality bowlers in the death overs to finish the game for India.
Speaking on Espncricinfo, Wasim Jaffer feels that Hardik Pandya should have bowled five to six overs for the team going forward, as it can help the Indian team to field another all-rounder in the playing 11 stating that Axar Patel could be a valuable addition to the team especially in the spinning conditions, as he can dangerous with the bat at the backend of the innings.
“I was a little surprised that he [Pandya] only bowled three overs. I would have liked him to bowl five or six overs. If Pandya is bowling 5-6 over spells, then you can have Axar in the team. If the pitch is spinning, then Axar can come into the side and obviously, your batting gets strengthened,” Wasim Jaffer added.
Looking at the larger picture, Axar Patel, I see him playing. If he gets more game time under the belt, the pitches are going to spin… So if Hardik Pandya gives you 5-6 overs with the new ball, you can squeeze in Axar Patel,” Wasim Jaffer added.
Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been in the form of his life in recent times. The left-handed all-rounder has been consistent with both bat and ball in all three formats of the game for India and his batting stature has grown higher and higher in the last couple of years as he got runs all around the world in recent times.
I Would Have Loved To See Him Finish The Game – Wasim Jaffer On Ishan Kishan’s Knock
Wasim Jaffer heaped praise on Indian wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan for his brilliant half-century against the West Indies as the 25-year-old showed a lot of composure to score runs in the tough wickets of Barbados on Thursday and said that he would like him to finish the game for India on the 1st ODI.
“I think he played well, getting a fifty in a little bit of challenging conditions. With the new ball, it was a bit of a challenge. I thought their [West Indies] spinners bowled decently. He played well and took them on as and when the opportunity came. But I would have loved to see him finish the game and get a 70-odd not out,” Wasim Jaffer further added.
In ODI cricket has amassed 562 runs at a good average of 43.2 in 15 ODIs, including an outstanding 210-run knock in the game against Bangladesh, and can be a crucial player for the Indian team going forward in the One-day Internationals.