Hardik Pandya to play finisher's role like MS Dhoni in upcoming T20 World Cup: Report

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to play the role of a finisher in the upcoming T20 World Cup similar to that of former cricketer MS Dhoni, who handled the same responsibility for the side for several years. Hardik has not bowled in competitive matches for a very long time and his return with the ball for Team India is still in doubt. However, the Gujarat cricketer has not been excluded from the World Cup squad and is expected to play the role of a finisher with the bat, as per sources inside the team. 

According to news agency ANI, Hardik is not 100 percent when it comes to bowling and hence he will be required to play the finisher's role in the upcoming World Cup. "It will be a finisher's role for Hardik in this World Cup. We will keep assessing him as we progress, but at present, the team will look at him as a batsman who comes in and looks to play the finisher`s role just like MS Dhoni did over the years," ANI quoted a source as saying. 

Why is Hardik not bowling?

Hardik has not bowled regularly for India and his IPL side Mumbai Indians since he underwent back surgery in 2019. 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 2019 World Cup. After the World Cup, Hardik went under the knife in the United Kingdom and started his rehabilitation to gain his strength back. However, before Hardik could recover fully, he sustained another injury on his shoulder in 2020 and was ruled out from bowling in order to gain full recovery. 

The last time Hardik was seen bowling in a competitive match was back in July while playing a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. Hardik did not bowl a single over in the recently-concluded IPL campaign for Mumbai Indians. He played as a pure batsman for the side and failed to put up a good show with the bat, except for one match against Punjab Kings, where he smashed all around the park. With Shardul Thakur's inclusion in the World Cup squad, it will be interesting to see if he is called into the playing XI in place of Hardik as the 28-year-old continues to struggle to regain form. 

Image: HardikPandya/Instagram