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Sanjay Manjrekar vehemently criticized India’s vice-captain Hardik Pandya, asserting that Pandya isn’t suitable to be India’s fifth bowler in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
In 2024, Hardik Pandya faced criticism from former Indian cricketers, adding to a series of challenges he encountered since the previous year’s 50-over World Cup. His troubles began with a pivotal moment in the World Cup final when he rolled his feet over the ball. Subsequently, he assumed the captaincy of Mumbai Indians for IPL 2024, but his journey was marred by an injury that sidelined him for several months. Upon his return during IPL 2024, Pandya endured significant trolling and abuse from Mumbai Indians fans, which evidently impacted his on-field performance and leadership abilities. With a disappointing tally of 11 wickets and 216 runs, Pandya led Mumbai Indians to a dismal 10th-place finish in the latest Indian Premier League season.
Why Sanjay Manjrekar doesn’t want Hardik Pandya to be India’s 5th bowler?
During a Q&A session on Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar was asked about Hardik Pandya’s suitability as India’s fifth bowling option for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. In his characteristically straightforward manner, Manjrekar expressed his skepticism, stating that he doesn’t view Pandya as the ideal choice for that role. Instead, he advocated for Pandya to be considered as the sixth bowling option due to his limited bowling contributions and ongoing fitness concerns. Given Pandya’s history of injuries, Manjrekar emphasized the importance of managing his workload to prevent another untimely setback, reminiscent of his absence during the Cricket World Cup the previous year.
“Hardik Pandya can’t be your fifth bowler. I think India must have the sixth bowler as Hardik Pandya because of the amount of bowling he has done and with fitness.” – Sanjay Manjrekar said via Star Sports.
Manjrekar supports the idea of India including an additional spinner in their playing XI.
Sanjay Manjrekar, given his reservations about Hardik Pandya as India’s fifth bowling option, advocates for a spin-heavy bowling strategy. He expresses concerns about the depth of India’s pace attack, which he believes could pose challenges for captain Rohit Sharma’s team. Manjrekar notes that the absence of Mohammed Shami, if he remains unfit, exacerbates this issue. In light of these considerations, he suggests that the management under Rahul Dravid consider including an additional spinner in the lineup. India boasts spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, making this strategy viable.
“So, I’d rather go a little heavy on spin because when you look at the seam quality of India, there’s not much depth. If Mohammed Shami had been there then it would have completely changed the look of India’s bowling attack. You have some good spinning options, so I rather go with an extra spinner.” – Manjrekar concluded.
