T20 World Cup 2021: "Selectors said Hardik is fully fit & he'll bowl in the WC, so they need to be questioned now" - Sarandeep Singh

The very prospect of Hardik Pandya resuming bowling makes news these days. That’s almost a polar opposite of the fact that it was his medium pace, along with hitting prowess, that earned him his India cap back in 2016 in Adelaide.

Whether Hardik will bowl or not, how far is he on the road to recovery, what is his suitable batting number – all these questions have been doing the rounds for a while now. India have been robbed of a quality all-rounder since the end of 2019, but what is hurting more is the uncertainty of it all and that no one is clearing the air.

Former national selector Sarandeep Singh feels the onus is on the current selection committee to clarify the issue. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he blasted Chetan Sharma, the current chairman of selectors, for earlier promising Hardik's availability to bowl in the ongoing T20 World Cup, something which hasn't come to fruition yet.

"Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues are being talked about for a while now, but why don’t you ask the selection committee about this? We used to answer all questions during our tenure – if someone was unfit or anything – everything used to be open. But why isn’t it the same anymore? Chetan Sharma addressed the media just once, and he spoke something strange and walked away.

"When the chairman of the selection committee said he’s fully fit and he will bowl in the World Cup, so the chairman needs to be questioned now where is the fitness . He needs to say something – he is injured, he is not able to bowl, something. It’s unfair on Hardik as well, a quality player is stuck in controversy for no fault of his. If injury is there, it’s okay, can’t do much about it," Sarandeep Singh emphasized.

After going under the knife in October 2019 for a stress fracture in his lower back, Hardik's bowling took a back seat. Since then, he has bowled a total of 50 overs (19 in T20Is and 31 in ODIs) across nine ODIs and 10 T20Is. To put that into perspective, those 50 overs have been out of a total of 130 overs on offer, and he has taken just 7 wickets in the process.

Sarandeep Singh, who served as the North Zone selector from 2016 to 2020, opined that the lack of clarity on Hardik's fitness also stems from the fact that the 28-year-old doesn't go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehab but instead visits the support staff of his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI).

"Hardik definitely wants to bowl, but since he isn’t means his injury is a big one. He doesn’t go to the NCA, he treats himself to the Mumbai Indians staff. So nobody really knows and nobody is saying anything. The reason why Rohit Sharma is not able to say anything in press conferences is because even Rohit doesn’t really know," Singh, who played 3 Tests and 5 ODIs, said.

Hardik hasn't bowled a single delivery across the previous two editions of the IPL. Pressure on him to roll his arm over has been simmering for the past year-and-a-half. And you'd be forgiven for attributing his failed season with the bat in IPL 2021 - 127 runs at an average of 14.11 and a strike rate of 113.39 - to the added responsibility of compensating with the willow.

Add to that running the risk of aggravating the injury when trying to forcibly fastrack the recovery process. In other words, trying to justify Hardik's selection in the 15-member T20 World Cup squad.

Sarandeep Singh believes there is a lack of communication between the selection committee and the World Cup cohort, and stated that the Chetan Sharma-led panel needs to be strict in monitoring the situation. Pointing at the other specialist batsmen in the squad, the former India off-spinner reiterated that a not-fit-to-bowl Hardik besmirches the team combination.

"Those who have been selected as proper batsmen, why is the team management ignoring them? Just because Hardik can do better hitting? I think a negative message is going through the selection committee, so the selection committee has to be strict. They need to make sure Hardik plays only if he is fit to bowl, otherwise don’t expose him like this. The entire team combination is disrupted.

"Then you’d drop Bhuvi, then you’d replace Varun Chakravarthy with Ashwin just because he’s experienced. How does the experience help, when he last played white-ball international cricket in 2017? If the management is supporting you, it’s a good sign that they’re showing confidence in you. But there will come a point when Hardik himself has to step in and say, 'I am not able to do it'. And selectors should be questioned that what is happening, and if he’s not able to do it, then so be it," Singh explained.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami played the 2015 World Cup with a knee injury, relying on painkillers and captain MS Dhoni's advice. Shami did finish as India's second-highest wicket-taker - 17 wickets in seven games - but he lost the next year-and-a-half nursing the collateral damage.

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"It doesn’t look nice if Virat is having to bowl" - Sarandeep Singh

India were thrashed by 10 wickets in their opening game against Pakistan [Credits: BCCI]

If Hardik Pandya can no longer play the all-rounder's role, he's compelled to do that extra bit with the bat.

In fact, according to reports, mentor MS Dhoni insisted on having the Baroda lad in the side for his ball-striking. Captain Virat Kohli also reasoned Hardik's selection by highlighting his ability to play "impact innings" coming in at No. 6.

But then, in their opening game - probably their toughest match in the league stage - against Pakistan, Hardik was held back and Ravindra Jadeja was sent in at No. 6, most likely to make a left-right combination with Kohli.

Sarandeep Singh, under whose selection tenure Hardik grew in stature as an international cricketer, deplored playing the 28-year-old at No. 7. Especially when he has been trusted with the role of a specialist batter.

"Anyway six batsmen are enough in T20 cricket. One who bats at No. 7 walks in with about 4 overs remaining, and eventually plays a maximum 12 of the 24 deliveries. And he can’t score 40 off those 12 balls, can he? It would have been possible if Hardik was in tremendous form, smashed balls in the IPL, then you could have banked on him scoring 30-35 coming in at on No. 7," Singh told Sportskeeda.

To simplify the imbroglio, Sarandeep Singh wants the Indian thinktank to bench Hardik if he's not fit to bowl four overs. Shedding light on the importance of having a sixth bowling option, the 42-year-old issued a reminder that Hardik is a bowler who can bat.

"How can Hardik Pandya fit into the side as a batsman? He is an all-rounder. He has to bowl, he is a bowler who can bat. Bowling fitness doesn’t mean to simply roll the arms over and bowl few overs, Hardik has to bowl his full quota of 4 overs – the Hardik Pandya we once knew. If he has to just send down deliveries, then Virat Kohli can also do it.

"And he did try bowling two overs in the practice game. It doesn’t look nice if Virat is having to bowl. The situation might demand a sixth bowler, which was the case versus Pakistan. But since there wasn’t any option, India were going with whatever they had," Singh elaborated.

He further voiced his support for the inclusion of Shardul Thakur - Hardik's closest like-for-like replacement - going by his recent form.

"Keep the entire team same, just replace Hardik with Shardul. Too much of change is always bad. Because the team that lost to Pakistan was the best XI and that’s why it was picked. If you back Varun Chakravarthy, go with him. If he’s been picked as a ‘mystery spinner’, then he should be backed. And he hasn’t bowled badly – no one took wickets, and he bowled two good overs and got hit in one, that’s fine. Against New Zealand no one’s going to pick his bowling," Singh concluded.

With Pakistan winning all three matches so far - including against the other two heavyweights in the group - Virat Kohli's boys face New Zealand on Sunday (October 31) in what might turn out to be a virtual do-or-die game for both.

Do or die is what will be playing in Hardik Pandya's mind too.