"Knew he was going to come good": India bowling coach Mhambrey heaps praise on Hardik Pandya
Jun 11, 2024
New York [USA], June 12 : India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said that the team management was confident about Hardik Pandya delivering for the team in the ongoing T20 World Cup despite his underwhelming season in the Indian Premier League.
Hardik has been one of the driving forces for the Indian team in the bowling department. In two matches, he has scythed five wickets at an economy of 6.37. While with the bat, he has yet to make an impact.
While talking about his art with the ball, Mhambrey was confident that Pandya would eventually find his rhythm and would "come good" for the team.
"Hardik's confidence in his ability was never in doubt. Sometimes you don't get into the rhythm, no matter what you do. You're bowling consistently, but you just cannot get into a rhythm. His work ethic was the same. We knew he was going to come good," Mhambrey said in the pre-match press conference.
While featuring for Mumbai Indians, Pandya led the franchise for the first time in his career. In 14 matches he conceded 387 runs and claimed 11 wickets.
He replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the franchise and was booed by the fans at the beginning phase of the tournament.
"If it was worrisome, he would not have done anything in that phase. If he did not work on that, then it was a little worrisome. But one thing was, for sure, I knew that I also followed that, that his work ethic was going on the same as before. So, if that is going on with him then after one or two matches, the rhythm of the bowler comes. After he got into that rhythm, you can see the difference between the IPL and this tournament," he added.
The 30-year-old all-rounder was a crucial figure in India's triumph over arch-rival Pakistan on Sunday. He picked up key wickets of the hard-hitting duo of Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan.
He will be looking to recreate a similar impact against the co-hosts, USA, in New York on Wednesday.
