'I am not sure it's a great call' - Sanjay Manjrekar not in favour of Hardik Pandya bowling 10 overs in ODIs

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that it would not be a good call to let all-rounder Hardik Pandya bowl 10 full overs in the ODIs. Pandya, who made his international comeback and is in fine touch with both the bat and the ball, has been included in the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England.

India has a good lineup of bowlers, and Pandya would be an addition to the combination so that the team has a sixth bowler in place, which will probably be the situation if he makes it to the playing combination. But given Pandya’s form in the game since his IPL stint, it looks like Pandya can fulfill the duties, but Manjrekar has a different opinion.

“There I am worried. I am not sure it’s a great call but I don’t think he is making the trip to West Indies, if I remember, for the one-dayers. 50-overs cricket for an all-rounder is tough, it really takes a lot out of you,” he said while speaking to Sports18.

It is physically very draining: Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar believes that it is difficult for the all-rounder to bowl the 10-overs completely because they also have a job to do with the bat. It becomes even more difficult in the 50-over format if the player is put to bat first, because if he does good, then it becomes a tedious task for him to bowl 10 overs in the next innings or vice versa.

“You are bowling 10 overs in just about three-and-a-half hours which is a lot, plus if you are batting towards the end and stay not out while batting first and then come in and bowl those 10 overs, it is physically very draining,” he added.

The cricketing pundit feels that Pandya should be used as a batting all-rounder because his form with the bat has been tremendous and stated that he can make a cameo with the ball in the middle and bowl a couple of overs.

“So I am a little worried if Hardik Pandya plays 50-overs cricket and is expected to bowl 10 overs, or maybe he is not expected to bowl 10. His batting has been so good that he can be your batting all-rounder who will chip in with maybe five overs on a good day,” he stated.