Speaking on the Star Sports Press Room Show, “Ticket to World Cup,” Pathan highlighted the necessity for Pandya to deliver substantial contributions at the international level, particularly in ICC events.
“What I feel about Hardik Pandya is that Indian cricket needs to make it clear that they should not give him that much priority as they have given him so far, because we still haven’t won the World Cup,” Pathan asserted.”If you think you are a primary all-rounder, you need to make that kind of an impact at the international level. As far as the all-rounder is concerned he hasn’t made that impact at the international level, we are only thinking about the potential.”
Expressing concern over the disparity between IPL performances and international cricket, Pathan advised Pandya to commit to consistent participation throughout the year, rather than selective appearances.
“We are getting confused between the IPL performances and the international performances. That’s a big difference. First of all, he needs to play throughout the year. He cannot pick and choose,” Pathan emphasized.
Pathan stressed the importance of fostering a team-oriented approach, drawing parallels with Australia’s strategy of nurturing collective excellence over individual brilliance.
“What Australia has been doing for many years is that they are actually preferring the team game. Making everyone a superstar. Not one superstar, everybody is a superstar in the squad. If you don’t do that, you will not win big tournaments,” Pathan noted.
Beyond Pandya’s role, Pathan raised concerns about India’s finishers and the effectiveness of the pace bowling unit ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“My worry is with the T20 World Cup, we are pretty much sorted as far as the top-order batting is concerned. We are pretty much sorted in the middle-overs as well,” Pathan remarked.
“If we’re thinking Ravindra Jadeja is a number seven batter, you need a good finisher. His numbers are not that great as far as the strike-rate is concerned at the international level. So, there is a worry for me there and the fast bowling.”
“Apart from Bumrah, if I look at the guys playing in IPL, played before the IPL in the South Africa series, their numbers are not that great — be that it’s Arshdeep, be that it’s Mohammed Siraj, you know, the guys who played last. So these two departments, it really makes me worry. These are the departments that are going to be very, very crucial,” Pathan said.
Highlighting the need for improvement in key areas, Pathan underscored the significance of addressing these challenges to bolster India’s prospects in the upcoming tournament.
(With inputs from PTI)
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