Hardik Pandya dons his bowling shoes vs Sri Lanka; Netizens say 'great for Indian cricket'

As India vs Sri Lanka's first ODI is underway with Dasun Shanaka winning the toss and electing to bat first, the wait for cricket fans to see Hardik Pandya coming back to his all-rounder's groove has finally arrived. With India playing with two specialist seamers- Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, it was expected that Hardik Pandya will finally come to his old groove. 

Hardik Pandya hasn't bowled regularly for Team India since the 2019 ICC World Cup. The Baroda cricketer had suffered a back injury during the 2018 Asia Cup, following which he was bowling in patches to keep himself fit for the World Cup. After the conclusion of the ICC event, Hardik underwent successful back surgery in England. But before he could start bowling his full quotas of overs, Hardik suffered another injury to his shoulder last year and was ruled out from bowling until full recovery. 

Netizens react as Hardik Pandya comes to bowl against Sri Lanka

As soon as Hardik Pandya was given bowling in the 9th over, netizens on Twitter could not resist reacting to it. While some felt that it is a good sign for Team India keeping the upcoming T20 World Cup in mind, others highlighted the all-rounder's new look.  However, Hardik Pandya's first did not go well as the all-rounder was struck back-to-back boundaries by opener Avishka Fernando.

India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI: Ajit Agarkar reveals why Hardik Pandya should bowl in the series

Earlier, Team India's former pacer Ajit Agarkar had highlighted why Hardik Pandya's bowling is important for Team India.

“I hope he (Hardik Pandya) starts bowling. I am not quite sure why he didn’t bowl in the IPL. I think he bowled in the last ODI against England in Pune. So, I hope if there is an injury it must have been sorted. Because I think it was just a niggle that’s why he didn’t bowl. He walks into the side as a batsman but you need Hardik to bowl,”  said Ajit Agarkar during a virtual PC for the official broadcasters of the India-Sri Lanka series - Sony India.

(Image Credits: AP/@ShettyPreethik/@PunchCricket/Twitter)