Hardik Pandya bowling less overs a good thing for India, says bowling coach Bharat Arun

Sudhir Gupta 17:58 08/08/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Hardik Pandya had bowled only 10 overs in the Edgbaston Test.

    India bowling coach Bharat Arun believes Hardik Pandya’s low volume of overs bowled in the first Test against England bodes well for the side ahead of the second clash at Lord’s.

    Speaking at a press-conference on Tuesday, the bowling coach said that the less number of overs Pandya bowls, the better it is for India.

    The all-rounder bowled only 10 overs in the first innings at Edgbaston and did not bowl at all in the second innings.

    “The less Hardik bowls, it augurs well for the team because it means other (specialist) bowlers have done very well. I am not taking any credit from Hardik. But he did an exceptionally good job for us in South Africa and I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t come to the party here,” Arun said.

    Pandya went wicketless in the first Test.

    Pandya went wicketless in the first Test.

    When asked about the bowling combination plans for Lord’s, Arun stated that playing five bowlers would be the way to go.

    “Playing an extra batsman here, I would consider it as a conservative move. I think everything depends on the conditions and they are not going to be as friendly as it was in the first Test, it makes more sense to play five bowlers (here),” he said.

    The bowling coach did not choose to reveal whether India would go with an additional spinner at Lord’s after Ravichandran Ashwin’s excellent performance at Edgbaston. India have Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav at their disposal if they choose to go down that route.

    “We will take a call tomorrow. We will take a look at the wicket but our bowlers have done extremely well in the last game. So we really need to look at any change in strategy depending on the wicket,” he stated.

    “It’s a good choice (to pick between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja), a tough one too. Depending on the conditions and the team, we’ll take a call on that,” Arun added.

    The second Test between the two sides will get underway on Thursday.

    Recommended