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Updated July 25th, 2021 at 08:07 IST

Muttiah Muralitharan backs misfiring Hardik Pandya, says 'let him play his own game'

Spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has backed all-rounder struggling Hardik Pandya after his poor outing in the recently-concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka

Reported by: Karthik Nair
Muttiah Muralitharan, Hardik Pandya
Image: AP/Muttiah Muralitharan Facebook | Image:self
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Spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has backed a misfiring Hardik Pandya who failed to make an impact during the recently-concluded three-match ODI series between India & Sri Lanka.

At the same time, Murali has also made it clear that Hardik Pandya is a 'special' player who can play a vital role both as a batsman and a bowler.

Muttiah Muralitharan backs a struggling Hardik Pandya

"Hardik Pandya is a special player. If I was captain, I would have him in any team in the world – an IPL team, Australian team, any team in the world. Because he has got the ability to bowl at 140 clicks and he can adjust and also bowl slower. Because of the injury, I feel he couldn’t do much. Secondly, his batting is also special. We can't accept him to play like Nitish Rana or Suryakumar Yadav… stay long and get runs. He is a short-period batsman who would bamboozle you with a 40-ball hundred. That's the expectation I would have from him", said Muttiah Muralitharan as quoted by  ESPNCricinfo.

"He might get out in the first two overs but if he clicks for 20-30 balls, he would score 50 runs. So that is the expectation from Hardik Pandya. If you make him play 70 balls and expect 90 runs, he would not be the same player. "It's like asking Jayasuriya to open and score at run a ball. He won't be successful. These players can play No. 7 and 8 anytime. Put him in and let him play his own game", the 1996 World Cup winner added.

India vs Sri Lanka: Here's how Hardik Pandya fared in the ODI series

While Hardik Pandya did not bat in the series-opener where Team India went on to register an emphatic win, the middle-order batsman scored a duck in the second and 19 in the third ODI respectively. Even his performance with the ball in hand was not up to the mark either as he could only manage two scalps in the three matches. In fact, the younger Pandya went wicketless in the second ODI where he conceded 20 runs from his quota of four overs.

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Published July 25th, 2021 at 08:07 IST

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