Virat Kohli backs this Indian player, says he adds variety to the team

India captain Virat Kohli is backing Hardik Pandya to come good in the ICC T20 World Cup. According to him, the all-rounder will bowl at least two overs at some point in the global event. His fitness has been one of the biggest talking points in the lead-up to the tournament in the UAE.

“Well, I honestly feel that Hardik Pandya presently with his physical condition is getting better in terms of being prepared to bowl at least two overs for us at a certain stage in this tournament and we strongly believe we can make the most of the opportunity we have at our hand till the time he starts bowling,” Kohli said during a virtual pre-match press conference ahead of India’s T2 World Cup opener against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.

Hardik didn’t bowl in the second leg of the IPL and he hasn’t started bowling in the nets as well. However, Virat Kohli will not leave his valuable player out of the matches as he adds variety to the team.

“What he brings at number six for us is something that you cannot create overnight. Hence, I was always in favour of backing him as a batter in Australia purely and we saw what he did in the T20I series and how he can take the game away from the opposition. We understand the value he brings to the team as a number six batter and it is important to have such players who can play impact innings. For us, that is way more valuable than forcing him to do something that he cannot at the moment, he is motivated and he is keen to start giving us a couple of overs to us,” he added.