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Won’t burden Pandya with specific plans – Kumble
- Updated: October 19, 2016
India coach Anil Kumble has said he was heartened by Hardik Pandya’s performance with the new ball on his ODI debut, and that the team management would give the allrounder the freedom to bat and bowl without specific instructions. Pandya opened the bowling along with Umesh Yadav in Dharamsala and was responsible for New Zealand’s batting meltdown. His figures of 3 for 31 from seven overs earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.
“[Pandya] is someone who obviously gives us the right balance,” Kumble said on the eve of the second ODI in Delhi. “He can not only bowl but also bowl at a pretty decent pace as well. [Bowling with the new ball] was certainly the strategy MS [Dhoni] wanted Hardik to try. He certainly has the potential and he showed his potential in the limited opportunities that he has got, whether it be the T20s or in the ODI. With him giving us those seven-eight overs, sometimes even 10, certainly gives us a better balance in the team.”
When asked if Pandya’s ball-striking ability gave India lower-order insurance, especially with MS Dhoni moving up the order, Kumble said the team backed Pandya to play the way he wanted to. “For someone who is just starting his international career, …
