India's acting captain Hardik Pandya fielded some questions regarding his bowling as he sat down for the customary pre-match press conference prior to the opening T20I against Sri Lanka.
The 29-year-old all-rounder played exclusively as a batsman in white-ball cricket for a significant amount of time due to a back issue. Pandya began bowling while leading Gujarat Titans to their first IPL championship in IPL 2022.
Questions about India's important all-bowling rounder's were justified as they began a demanding schedule that includes six T20Is, nine ODIs, and four Test matches (against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia) in the first three months of the ODI World Cup year.
When asked how he would handle his bowling, Pandya smashed the first query over the boundaries. He asserted that as captain, it will be his responsibility to oversee operations.
"I shall introduce myself if I feel like it. There shouldn't be any issues with that,"
He was proven correct on Tuesday when Pandya opened the bowling against Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series as India was defending a small score.
Pandya opened the bowling and perplexed the Sri Lankan batters while playing on a Wankhede pitch that was slow but favourable for batting. Despite the dew, Hardik bowled some excellent lines and came close to getting the edge a few times as he finished with 0-12 from three overs.
He could have got a wicket too if Sanju Samson had not put down a straightforward chance off Pathum Nissanka in his first over. On his second legal delivery, after bowling a wide, Pandya got Nissanka to chip it in the air over the bowler's head and Samson ran from mid-off and attempted an acrobatic catch but the ball popped out of his hands.
The 29-year old Pandya bowled military-medium and beat the bat on a couple of occasions and conceded only one four. However, the pressure he created at one end helped Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik and Harshal Patel claim wickets.
Meanwhile, Hardik, wore a sly smile, having responded to doubts about his bowling and also showed that he was not afraid of taking up the responsibility when needed.