'I don't think it's worrisome, you will very soon see him bowl' - Zaheer Khan on Hardik Pandya

The Mumbai Indians (MI) started their 2021 IPL campaign on a disappointing note. The Rohit Sharma-led side went down to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) outfit in the inaugural match of the 14th IPL edition.

But then, another thing that caught the eye was the fact that Hardik Pandya did not roll his arm over in the encounter against the Bangalore side. And now, the Director of Cricket Operations for the Mumbai Indians (MI), Zaheer Khan has stated that Pandya is a ‘whole package’, and brings great value to the side.

Zaheer also stated that Pandya did not bowl in Mumbai’s first IPL match because of workload management, and also added that the decision not to bowl Pandya was taken in consultation with the physios of the Mumbai side.

“Hardik as a whole package is of great value. It was a workload-related thing in the previous game [that he didn’t bowl]. He bowled in the India-England series, in the last ODI he bowled about nine overs, and that’s why in consultation with the physios, we had to take that approach,” said Khan as quoted by Cricinfo.

“There was a little bit of a shoulder concern,” says Zaheer Khan about Hardik Pandya

Zaheer Khan also stated that Hardik Pandya currently has a shoulder concern. Adding that the concern is not worrisome, the former Indian pacer revealed that Pandya will bowl soon. Khan further added that the Mumbai Indians’ physios will be able to tell the exact timeline of when Pandya will start bowling.

“There was a little bit of a shoulder concern. I don’t think it’s worrisome, you will very soon see him bowl. For the timelines, you’ll have to ask the physio but in terms of Hardik the bowler coming in this tournament, we are very confident that he will be chipping in,” said Khan.

Khan also said that Kieron Pollard is Mumbai’s sixth bowling option. Stating that the Mumbai Indians are not very concerned with their bowling department, Khan stated that any side has to adapt and adjust. The 42-year-old concluded by stating that the Mumbai side will have to be more flexible because of the fact that they are not playing in their home ground.

“Pollard is our sixth bowling option. He’s an experienced campaigner here so he’s definitely going to be our sixth bowling option. And whenever Hardik is available, he’s going to be a bowling option as well. We’re not very concerned in that department. You have to adapt and adjust. This year it’s a different format so we’ll look to have that flexibility around because of not being able to play in the home ground,” concluded Khan.