Sydney: The flamboyant all-rounder, who is remodelling his action after a back surgery, is still not ready for that workload which is affecting the balance of the side, an admission that came from skipper Virat Kohli himself.
“I am working on my bowling, I am going to come at the right time when it is needed,” Pandya, who scored 90 off 76 balls during his team’s 66-run loss on Friday, said at the post-match press conference.
For the Baroda man, it is important that once he starts bowling in match situations, he is able to deliver at optimum speeds required for producing quality performances at big events.
“It’s a process, I am looking at a long-term goal where I want to be 100 per cent of my bowling capacity for the most important games when the World Cups are coming or the most crucial series whenever it is required,” he said.
Pandya said that he can’t put a timeline on when he would bowl as he doesn’t want to rush things.
“I am thinking as a long term plan not short term plan where I’ll try to exhaust myself and maybe have something else which is not there, so it’s a process, which I am following. I can’t tell you exactly when I am going to bowl,” he said, informing that he is bowling at the nets.
Pandya made no bones about the fact that India should also look at all-round options considering that a sixth bowling option is a must for balance of an ODI team.
“I think, maybe, we will have to find someone who has already played India and groom them and find a way to make them play,” he said.
“It is always going to be difficult when you go with five bowlers, because then if somebody is having an off day, you won’t have someone to fulfill (that role),” he said about a collective flop-show by the Indian bowling.
