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'He didn't play Tests, bowled only in T20Is, load has not even come yet': Sehwag questions Pandya's 'workload management
India vs England: Virender Sehwag believes Virat Kohli could have used Hardik Pandya for at least 3-4 overs, since he had bowled as many overs in the shortest format against England.
The 2nd ODI between India and England saw the Virat Kohli-led side getting beaten by six wickets. England batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes hammered 175 runs for the 2nd wicket in 119 balls, thus taking the game away from the hosts.
Indian bowlers were hit for plenty, especially spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya who were rendered completely ineffective by the England batters. Surprisingly, Kohli did not give the ball to Hardik Pandya at all in the match, even though the all-rounder had bowled in the T20Is.
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After the match, Kohli said that the decision to not use Pandya as a bowler was made to manage his workload. But former India opener Virender Sehwag believes Kohli could have used Pandya for at least 3-4 overs, since he had bowled as many overs in the shortest format against England.
"At least to make a change, Hardik Pandya could have been given a spell of 3-4 overs. I don't understand if he can bowl four overs in T20I cricket, then why cannot he do the same in ODI cricket," Sehwag asked on Cricbuzz.
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"If he only wants to play as a batsman, then say that he will only play as a batsman in ODI cricket, so then his performance will be assessed accordingly. Because as an allrounder you sometimes get an advantage, that if you are unable to perform with the bat on one day, then you performed with the ball.
"Or vice-versa. But if he is not going to ball, then he will only be assessed as a batsman. So, I am little disappointed that Pandya did not bowl a single over. If he is fit, he can bowl four overs in T20Is, so he could have bowled a couple of overs. If he had got a breakthrough, it would have helped the team," he added.
Pandya had to undergo back surgery in 2019 after which he had to sit out of cricket for a few months. He returned to play the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians last year but did not bowl throughout the tournament. He played the limited-overs series in Australia, but only bowled four overs in the 2nd ODI.
Sehwag questioned Pandya's workload management and said that the all-rounder has not played much cricket since he has returned from surgery.
"If there are no overs in Hardik Pandya's workload, then I feel something is wrong. Kohli said that workload management is being done for all bowlers including Pandya. But it cannot be so that he does not bowl a single over. Fielding for 50 overs is also tiring, so if he bowls four-five overs in between, it would not increase the workload much. I don't know who decides that Pandya's workload has increased. Because since he has returned from surgery, he has not played much cricket," Sehwag said.
"He missed the Tests. He has played 3 T20Is, in which he bowled four-six overs. The load of work has not even come on him yet since he has returned to fitness. If he was playing non-stop cricket across all formats, then I would have understood it. But he has no load on himself yet. He has only played T20Is. Maybe he might have said that he will not bowl 10 overs in ODI cricket, because if I get injured I might have to miss IPL."
