Before the IND vs. AUS match, Aakash Chopra 'worried' about Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja
India will be starting their campaign against Australia on Sunday, October 8, in Chennai. Aakash Chopra has opined that Hardik Pandya is the only batting all-rounder in the team and hasn't warmed up nicely before the mega event.
He said Hardik Pandya would be crucial to the success of India because Ravindra Jadeja, the other all-rounder in the team, has been struggling with the bat lately. Aakash Chopra added that there is also Shadrul Thakur in the team, but he cannot bat at number six.
Aakash Chopra said, “I am a bit worried that India is too dependent on Hardik Pandya. There is no other player like him in the squad; nobody bowls in the top 6. Ravindra Jadeja can play at No. 7, but his batting
form hasn’t been great lately. Also, Pandya is the only batting all-rounder in the team, and Shardul Thakur isn't—he can’t bat at No. 6.”
He further added that, "Hence, I believe that Hardik Pandya is critical to team India’s success in the World Cup. Another reason why I am worried about this is the fact that he did not play the last three ODIs against Australia, and the warm-up matches did not happen. He has not played a lot of cricket; he played in the Asia Cup final and took a couple of wickets but could not bat, and the last two fixtures against Pakistan were not too significant in terms of his performance. There might be a chance he might not be at his best in his first game in Chennai.”
Hardik Pandya was initially rested for the first two ODIs against Australia. Later, he was declared unavailable for the third ODI as well, whereas both of India's warm-up matches were washed out due to rain.