"If you don't practice in the nets, you won't have confidence in your bowling" - Kapil Dev wants Hardik Pandya to bowl

The 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has shared his views about Hardik Pandya ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021. He opined that Hardik Pandya's bowling will give some relief to the skipper Virat Kohli.

However, he also claimed that it won't be effective until Team India clinches the title. While speaking with Sportskeeda in an exclusive chat, Kapil Dev said "An all-rounder always makes a massive difference to a team. Hardik, not bowling will not impact India's chances, but it will make a difference in terms of Kohli's options.

If an all-rounder is available for both (batting and bowling), it enhances the captain's ability to rotate bowlers and gives him the extra option to fall back on."

Moreover, he also mentioned a few things about Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly that how they managed to bowl for the side during their playing days.

"When Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar were playing, they could have bowled 2 out of 4 overs, the captain had an extra person to consider if one of the bowlers got hit and it made his job easier. If Hardik can bowl even 2 overs, it gives India that much more balance," Kapil Dev added. 

"But him bowling even 2 overs will obviously lend more flexibility" - Kapil Dev wants Hardik Pandya to bowl at least two overs:

The veteran cricketer wants the Baroda all-rounder to bowl at least 2 overs in the game. It will give Virat Kohli another option to run 2 overs in the middle phase of the game.

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However, apart from his bowling inability, there are few too many bowlers who can consistently deliver with the ball in the crunch moments and can fetch wickets for the side.

"If you are able to bowl 40-50 balls in the nets, it builds up the confidence in any player to bowl in a match, otherwise it is that much more difficult to be fully committed. If you don't practice in the nets, you won't have confidence in your bowling. Any type of injury hampers a player's ability." 

"In Hardik's case, India should be okay given the talent in the team, but him bowling even 2 overs will obviously lend more flexibility. That said, I believe India does have the firepower in the team to make up for the deficiency," he further added.