IPL 2021: “We want to be sure that he is comfortable” – Mahela Jayawardene reveals why Hardik Pandya has not bowled so far

IPL 2021: “We want to be sure that he is comfortable” – Mahela Jayawardene reveals why Hardik Pandya has not bowled so far

Mumbai Indians

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 has seen some low-scoring thrillers early in the season. The sluggish pitch at the Chepauk has served as the perfect platform for these thrillers. And hence has been at the center of widespread criticism for its slowish speed. Many have even questioned if the wickets are worthy of the IPL where slam-bam cricket is in fashion. Mumbai Indians have however, adapted well to the conditions, especially with the ball, despite the fact that they haven’t had Hardik Pandya bowl a single over.

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene hailed the Chennai pitches as “good competitive wickets”. The Sri Lankan is of the notion that it is these variations in the venues that make IPL “interesting”. Barring the loss in the series opener, MI have been spot on with their strategies and Jayawardene feels that MI have adapted to the conditions very well.

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“Well I think it’s unfair to say that you need batting wickets in IPL, why is the tournament interesting is because every venue is different which makes it evenly contesting. Yes the wickets are slightly on the slower side but we have still seen scores of 150 or 160 in the last few matches,” said Jayawardene in a virtual press conference.

“They are not unplayable wickets they are good competitive wickets. I think we have been consistent in our approach it is challenging but we have adapted pretty well. Sometimes we will make mistakes and that is part of the game,” he adds.”Every game is a challenge in Chennai because we are playing different teams and not just playing against CSK in Chennai, we are playing against different opposition, so we also have to adjust to different playing styles according to the teams.“

“Hardik Pandya picked up a niggle in his last ODI match against England,” Mahela Jayawardene

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya

For the second season running, Hardik Pandya has been featuring in the MI side as a specialist batsman. The all-rounder had resumed bowling duties the England tour. Jayawardene informs that Pandya picked up a niggle in the final game of the ODI series and hence is not bowling.

“We were looking forward to him bowling this season as he didn’t bowl in last year’s IPL after coming from an injury and he wasn’t ready. In his last ODI match against England, I believe Hardik picked up a niggle so we don’t want to risk an injury,” Jayawardene explained.

“We want to be sure that he is comfortable in bowling so hopefully in the next few weeks with a bit of work and all that you might see him bowling, we would love to see him bowling but as soon as the niggle goes off and he is comfortable in bowling we could utilise that asset as well,” he added.

Rahul Chahar had a horrid start to the season as he went for 43 runs in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The young leggie has bounced back strongly since and has scalped 7 wickets in the next two games. Jayawardene is overjoyed the way Chahar has improved lately.

“Rahul Chahar has been performing well for us for the last 3 years. He is still a young player and is constantly learning. We are very happy with his progress,” said Jayawardene.

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