NEW DELHI: While dismissing the rumours of becoming the next head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, former Indian off-spinner
Harbhajan Singh
empathizes with
Hardik Pandya
as he navigates a challenging phase in his career. Despite Pandya's struggles in the IPL, both as a captain and player for Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan believes that he will perform differently when representing India in the upcoming
T20 World Cup
.
He hopes that Pandya, who "hasn't been a free man in the last two months," will find his form during the tournament, as a strong performance from him could significantly boost India's chances of success.
"When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India," said Harbhajan.
"If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward. Yes, his form is a bit of a concern...and lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai, was a big change and the team (MI) didn't react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain," the 43-year-old added.
He urges the team management to ensure that Pandya and Rohit are on the "same page" and that the entire team plays together as a cohesive unit.
"It looked like they (MI) were not playing together as a team. So there was a lot going on. Hardik wasn't a free man in the last two months. I believe both of them and many others who have played in different teams will have to come together to do something special for the nation," he said.
Regarding India's pace attack, Harbhajan believes that Jasprit Bumrah is the only bowler who can consistently perform well regardless of the conditions. He feels that Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj may need assistance from the pitch to be effective. Harbhajan hopes that the other bowlers will step up and take responsibility alongside Bumrah.
"Pace attack definitely could be a concern because because Bumrah is in a different league for the kind of bowler he is. He will win you games on any kind of pitch. He doesn't need conditions whereas other bowlers like Arshdeep and Siraj would need help from conditions. If there's bounce, Siraj might do well. He is tall, can also swing it both ways, hits the deck hard and has got pace. But if wickets are slow then the challenge begins for other bowlers," said Harbhajan.
Impressed by
Virat Kohli
's improved strike rate and the addition of new shots to his repertoire during the IPL, Harbhajan emphasizes the importance of Kohli and
Rohit Sharma
scoring quickly in the Powerplay while also respecting the conditions in the USA and West Indies.
"Virat has shown a lot of improvement from last year to this year and people spoke about his strike rate. It was in 130s during last year and this time it is in 160s," he said.
Regarding the speculation surrounding
Gautam Gambhir
as a potential candidate for India's head coach position, Harbhajan believes that the most crucial task for any coach is to bring the team together and ensure they play as a cohesive unit.
"I don't think I will be able to give that much time. At this stage of my life I have a young family and I need to be around them and look after them. Yes, when the right time comes, I will put my foot forward and say I am ready for it," he concluded.
(Inputs from PTI)
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