India's ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Friday said that he was focussing and preparing himself to play purely as a batsman till he gets match-ready to bowl.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The younger of the two Pandya brothers had a back injury in 2019 and as he gradually returns to competitive cricket, he is avoiding bowling. He did not bowl at all for the Mumbai Indians in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) and played as a pure batsman in the first ODI against Australia on Friday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked if playing purely as a batsman makes any difference, Hardik said, "(It does) not make much difference. I believe in having both skills. I like to back myself and have that confidence where whatever role is given to me I try to fulfill that to the best of my ability."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pandya on Friday played a brilliant knock -- 90 off 76 balls -- and tried to take the game deep after India lost early wickets. He came into bat after they were reduced to 101\/4 in the 14th over.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Unlike his role at Mumbai Indians in IPL's T20 games, in which he is asked to do power-hitting right from the word go, Pandya on Friday played himself in before unleashing a flurry of boundaries against Glenn Maxwell.
\r\nHowever, a total of 374 proved too much for him and Shikhar Dhawan, who was India's other top-scorer. Pandya said that by playing as a pure batsman he has to start thinking as a batsman only.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I start thinking as a batter. I try to take the game deep. I try to bat in a way, where I can score more runs than what I am used to. It does not add too much pressure or does not give me any more freedom. It is just that I am enjoying being on the ground as a batter or cricketer," said Pandya on being asked if playing only as a batter allows him more freedom than playing as an all-rounder.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pandya did not give any specific time about when he would get match-ready to bowl. But he said he is looking at long-term goals like the World Cups and does not want to rush in. There are three successive World Cups that India plays - the T20 World Cups in India and Australia next year and the 50-over World Cup in 2023 in India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is a process. I am looking at a long-term goal time when I want to be 100 percent of my bowling capacity for the most important games -- the World Cups are coming, the most crucial series. I am looking at a long-term plan, not a short-term plan where I'll try to exhaust myself and maybe have something else (injury) which is not there," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"So it is going to be a process that I am following. I can't exactly tell you exactly when I am going to bowl. But the process is going on. In the nets I am bowling, am not game-ready. I am bowling and making sure that the skill are of international level," he added.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2020\/11\/hardik-pandya-targets-world-cups-to-return-as-bowler.jpg", "alt_img": "hardik pandya targets world cups to return as bowler", "alt_title": "Hardik Pandya ", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "Hardik Pandya Targets World Cups To Return As Bowler On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "India's ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Friday said that he was focussing and preparing himself to play purely as a batsman till he gets match-ready to bowl. ", "seo_keywords": "Hardik Pandya", "tag": "", "tagging": "Hardik Pandya,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "hardik-pandya-targets-world-cups-to-return-as-bowler", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "3472", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2020-11-27 20:56:44", "updated": "2020-11-27 20:56:51", "img_from": "Hardik Pandya ", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "Hardik Pandya, Bowling, World Cup", "livescore_text": "", "livescore_link": "", "btn_text": "", "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2020-11-27 20:56:44", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2020-11-27 20:56:44", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/hardik-pandya-targets-world-cups-to-return-as-bowler-67655" }