Cricket: My full focus is on the T20 World Cup: Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has boasted himself to get back to bowling at maximum capacity when the T20 World Cup comes around. The all-rounder conceded he is dealing with his responsibility with an eye on the ICC contest. 

The all-rounder's powerlessness to bowl has been a major worry for India. Hardik Pandya is one of only a handful of seam bowling all-rounder choices available to India. Hardik Pandya bowled a couple of overs during the white-ball series against England however avoided bowling activity during the IPL. 

Talking on the TOI, Hardik Pandya illustrated his bowling plans for the coming months. 

“For me, I want to make sure, and I will be able to, that I bowl in all the games of the T20 World Cup. I am just trying to be smart and make sure that I don't miss that. My full focus is on the World Cup" - he said.

Hardik Pandya has battled to bowl reliably since the time he went through back a medical procedure in 2019. He has not bowled a solitary ball in the IPL in the course of the last two seasons and his bowling spells for India have been rare too. 

Conversations around Hardik Pandya's bowling responsibility are never far away at whatever point the all-rounder takes to the field, and the 27-year-old clarified why he doesn't bowl all the more frequently. 

“Yes, on the bowling front, what matters is how fit I am. Even after my surgery, I didn't drop my pace. My bowling is related to my fitness. The fitter I get, the better it comes out. Whenever I play, I don’t want to play at 50%. When I play, I will play at 100%” - he added 

India's squad for the Sri Lanka series shows that the selectors don't have a ton of choices with regards to the crease bowling all-rounder's space. While there are sufficient reinforcements for any remaining positions, Hardik Pandya is the lone seam-bowling all-rounder in the side. 

The T20 World Cup is quickly drawing closer and Hardik Pandya realizes he has something important to take care of. It's not simply the scoring of runs. India frantically needs Hardik Pandya to get back to full wellness and bowl four overs reliably, as it permits Virat Kohli to take the field with six bowling choices. Hardik the bowler also should pick his steps and be at his best when India takes a stab at an ICC trophy not long from now.