Hardik Pandya has said that he is ready to take on more bowling duties to prepare for the 2023 World Cup. But his progress is still “like a tortoise, not like a hare.” Hardik is currently in the West Indies with the Indian team. Where he has been a part of the Indian team in both ODIs. Earlier, he was on rest for two months after the IPL. During this vacation, he also did physical conditioning training for three weeks at the NCA. Where he worked a lot on his fitness skills.
Before the West Indies series, he told the team management that He will only play for the team,
When he can contribute with the ball as well. In IPL 2023, Hardik bowled a total of 25 overs in 16 matches. In the first two ODIs played against the West Indies, Hardik bowled 9.4 overs. He started the bowling in the first ODI. However, he bowled only three overs in that match. After this, he bowled six overs in the second ODI.
After the second ODI, Hardik was handed over the captaincy in place of Rohit Sharma. At the same time, he told how he is gradually increasing his bowling workload keeping the ODI World Cup in mind. After this series, Hardik will also captain the T20 series against West Indies. After that, he will have a chance in the Asia Cup as well.
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He said, “My body is absolutely fit now. I still have to bowl more, So that I can increase my bowling workload while keeping the ODI World Cup in mind. Though now my progress is like a tortoise, Not like a rabbit. Hopefully, everything will be fine before the World Cup.”
On Sunday, Rahul Dravid said that right now the team should focus more on the bigger picture. Along with this, he also said that the team should prepare for the World Cup without paying much attention to the recent results.
Hardik, however, is upbeat about the decider. He said, “To be honest, you want the series to be 1-1 and then you go into the third match Because it will be more challenging. When such a situation occurs, you go through a tough test. Also, it makes the next match exciting for the spectators as well as the players.”
