Former India offspinner Harbhajan Singh sympathises with Hardik Pandya as he goes through a challenging phase in his career and hopes the all-rounder, who has “not been fully fit for the last two months”, will be back to full fitness during next month’s T20 World Cup. Pandya had a forgettable IPL both as captain and player, with his side Mumbai Indians finishing bottom of the points table. To make matters worse, he was constantly jeered by fans whenever he stepped out on the field, including at MI’s home ground – the Wankhede Stadium.
But Harbhajan is hopeful that the situation will change during the T20 World Cup in the US.
“When he wears the blue jersey, it will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score runs and take wickets. I want Hardik to do well because he has been through a lot and I wish him all the best for a very good tournament for India,” Harbhajan said in an exclusive interview to PTI.
He said, “If he performs well in the tournament then definitely India will have a good chance to move forward.”
“Yes, his form is a bit of a concern… and there were a lot of other things going on around him, his move from Gujarat to Mumbai was a big change and the team (MI) didn’t react well to Hardik’s return, that too as captain,” the 43-year-old said.
The reason for fans’ anger against Pandya was that Mumbai Indians took away the responsibility of captaincy from long-time captain Rohit Sharma and handed it over to him.
There was speculation throughout the season that the Mumbai Indians dressing room was divided due to the change of captain. Rohit will now captain the national team in the World Cup starting June 1 and Pandya will be the vice-captain.
Multi-format World Cup winner Harbhajan urged the team management to “unite” Pandya and Rohit.
He said, “It looked like they (MI) were not playing together as a team. So there was a lot going on. Hardik was not free in the last two months. I believe both of them and many other players who have played in different teams have to come together to do something special for the country…”
He said, “Winning the World Cup is a bigger achievement than winning the IPL trophy, so I would urge the management to bring everyone together, bring them on one platform and make sure they play as a unit.”
“I believe it is the responsibility of the management to win unitedly. Even if they lose, they should lose unitedly.”
Bumrah will need support
Harbhajan believes that among the three bowlers selected (the other two being Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj), Jasprit Bumrah is the only pacer who does not need conditions to be successful.
He said, “Fast bowling can definitely be a matter of concern, because the kind of bowler Bumrah is, he is in a different league. He can win you the match on any kind of pitch. He does not need conditions, while other bowlers like Arshdeep and Siraj will need help from the conditions.”
He said, “If there is bounce then Siraj can perform well. He is tall, can swing both ways, can hit the ball fast on the pitch and his speed is also good. But if the wicket is slow then the challenge begins for other bowlers.”
He said, “Bumrah will have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders but I hope other players will also take the responsibility of becoming special.”
IPL performance will not matter
Harbhajan said that IPL form will not have any impact on the performance of the players in the ICC tournament.
“It doesn’t matter what you have done in your IPL career or before that, this is what matters the most… If I were in his place, I would be looking for this opportunity to show that I am doing better than what I am doing,” the ‘Turbanator’ said.
Virat is a changed T20 batsman
Harbhajan was impressed with how Virat Kohli added a few shots to his T20 game during this year’s IPL, which significantly improved his strike rate.
He said, “Virat has shown a lot of improvement from last year to this year and people talk about his strike rate. Last year it was around 130 and this time it is around 160.”
“Of course it is a big change. Virat and Rohit will have to score quickly in the powerplay, but at the same time they will also have to respect the conditions in the USA and the West Indies.”
If Gambhir becomes the coach then
Harbhajan doesn’t know if Gautam Gambhir, who is being considered the favourite to take over as India head coach from the outgoing Rahul Dravid, will get the job or not but he believes it will be a crown of thorns for whoever ends up wearing it.
“To be honest, it is speculation that is doing the rounds… the biggest thing a coach can do is to bring everyone together so that the team plays together. So, whether Gautam becomes the coach or Ashish Nehra, or whoever gets the chance, hopefully they will do better than the guys before them.” He also ruled himself out of the race.
He said, “I don’t think I will be able to give that much time. At this stage of my life, I have a small family and I have to be with them and take care of them. Yes, when the right time comes, I will put forth my point and say that I am ready for it.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
