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Cricket Players'I jokingly asked him, 'What is this surprise?'': Nehra opens up on Hardik's bowling duties for Gujarat Titans
IPL 2022: Hardik this season will have more responsibility with the bat and could also be seen batting higher up the order.
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has had his fair share of injuries over the past two years, keeping him away from bowling duties in India colours. The Baroda all-rounder managed to bowl just four overs during India's lacklustre campaign in last year's T20 World Cup, and didn't bowl a single delivery for Mumbai Indians (MI).
The Indian team management will be currently looking at players who can fit into the number six slot as an all-rounder. It remains to be seen whether Hardik rolls his arm over during the ongoing IPL season but Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra feels the flamboyant player's bowling could serve as a 'surprise' element.
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"When I saw him in Baroda, he was good, bowling around 80%. That was a few weeks back and he was feeling really comfortable. Since then he went to the NCA and has been practising non-stop. He has used this word, 'surprise', once or twice, so hind
"From day one I have been saying, in any T20 squad, I will take Hardik Pandya as a pure batter. As far as our franchise is concerned, I am looking at him more as a captain and batsman. And maybe that is why he is saying his bowling is a 'surprise'," Nehra told ESPN Cricinfo.
Known for his aggressive style of batting, Hardik will be saddled with more responsibility with the bat and can also bat higher up the order, especially when the Titans don't have many specialist batters in their artillery.
Nehra also shares his views about Mohammed Shami and underlined the senior bowler's rise in the international arena. The franchise has splurged a hefty sum of ₹6.25 crore for Shami in the recent mega auctions.
"I have played with him in my last few years. In the last three or four years the kind of experience and the kind of maturity he has shown... the two fast bowlers in India we always discuss are Shami and Bumrah. And it is not one or two series," said the former India bowler.
"The kind of fitness he has shown, the kind of long spells he has shown, it is really exciting to see. The price we got him for was a steal. For this team, he is a senior pro," he further added.
New entrants Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants will aim for a winning start to their IPL journey when they square off at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
