“Otherwise I will opt out”: Will Hardik Pandya bowl in IPL 2022 match vs SRH or not?

Will Hardik Pandya bowl: The captain of Gujarat Titans has bowled 18.3 overs across seven Indian Premier League 2022 matches.

During the 40th match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has won the toss and chose to bowl.

Pandya, who has played quite a lot at this venue due to his long stint at Mumbai Indians, was unsure of how a “fresh wicket” would behave. However, the 28-year old player did expect it to favour the bowlers.

“We are gonna bowl first. Playing on a fresh wicket and not sure how the wicket is gonna play. There might be something in it for the bowlers initially. With our batting line-up it’s better that we know exactly how much we are chasing, gives us more clarity,” Pandya told Star Sports at the toss.

Titans march in… unchanged 🙌#GTvSRH | #AavaDe | #SeasonOfFirsts pic.twitter.com/kzESisrxQO

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) April 27, 2022

Will Hardik Pandya bowl in IPL 2022 match vs SRH?

Pandya, who had missed their match against defending champions Chennai Super Kings due to a groin injury, went off the ground in their last match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Saturday.

While Pandya has recovered from a back surgery, his workload continues to be managed. A main reason for the same is him batting in the Top Four for Titans this season. Highest run-scorer for his team, Pandya’s additional responsibility as a batter has had an affect on his availability as a bowler.

Being asked about the chances of him bowling tonight, Pandya highlighted six “proper” bowling options up his sleeve for this match. The right-arm bowler further said that he would bowl only if need be.

“I have to see. The kind of bowling attack we have, I can actually take it easy. We are playing with five proper bowlers plus myself and plus Rahul [Tewatia] as well. So, we have seven options. If need be, I will bowl, otherwise I will opt out,” Pandya said.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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