Hardik Pandya also scalped two wickets leading Pakistan to end at 113/7 in 20 overs. (AP)
Hardik Pandya’s progress has certainly pleased Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey who believes that the all-rounder has found his lost rhythm.
All the booing and hatred that Hardik Pandya received during the IPL vanished in the air when he put on the Indian jersey. His struggle on the field in the past couple of months was visible to the naked eye. While bowling, he was getting brutally hammered and couldn’t contribute much with the bat as well. But as soon as he reunited with his Indian teammates in the West for the T20 World Cup, he seemed to have rediscovered his mojo back.
Pandya excelled in every game that India played so far in New York, including the warm-up fixture against Bangladesh. In 2 games, the Indian vice-captain has played a crucial role with the ball, picking up 5 wickets. His progress has certainly pleased Indian bowling coach Paras Mhambrey who believes that the all-rounder has found his lost rhythm.
“One thing I’m sure about is that he has confidence in his ability. Sometimes there’s no rhythm in a tournament, despite trying repeatedly. It takes time. I think that was a phase [in the IPL] where the rhythm was missing,” Mhambrey told media on the eve of the India vs USA fixture in New York.
“Had he not worked on that, it would have been a little worrisome. But one thing was, for sure, that his work ethic was going on the same as before. So, if that is going on with him then after one or two matches, the bowler finds the rhythm.
“Because he has done a lot of bowling, he has a lot of understanding about his bowling. So, he was sure that if his work ethic was going on, he was bowling in the nets regularly then everything would fall in place. And you can see, what he’s doing now as a bowler,” he added.
‘Can’t take the USA lightly’
Hosts US caused a major upset last week, defeating Pakistan in a Super Over. Now that India gear up the local team, Mhambrey said the fixture cannot be taken for granted.
“You can’t take any game lightly. This is a World Cup where every game matters. Your rhythm is important. Winning is a habit that you need to get into early. So, for us, it’s going to be like any other game,” Mhambrey said.
“It’s like we played Pakistan, like we played Ireland. It’s going to be a similar game for us. We are used to the conditions like these. I think we played enough out here. We know what kind of a wicket it is. And purely with the experience that we have, you expect to overcome that,” he added.
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