India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022: Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah workload need to be monitored, feels Ravi Shastri

Team India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in an explosive Asia Cup 2022 clash in Dubai on Sunday (August 28). Rohit Sharma-led India will be missing the services of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out due to injury. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri harped on the fact that Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s workload should be managed with the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in mind.

The return of Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder, has lent much needed balance to the Indian playing XI. “He is one of the most important cogs in India’s wheel. You take him out, the balance goes awry. We missed him last year at the World Cup where he could not bowl. No one is close to the quality that he possess,” Shastri said.

“He has to be watched very closely. With the games coming up (before the T20 World cup), Bumrah and Hardik need to be observed very carefully to ensure there is no breakdown. They are your two important players.”

 

 

 

 

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Shastri also backed Kohli to end his lean run in Asia Cup. “I haven’t spoken to him (recently). It is not rocket science. Mental fatigue can creep into the best in the world. This down time was not just needed for his body but to reflect,” the 60-year-old said.

“He will come back with a much calmer mind. He gets 50 in the first game, mouths will be shut. Public memory is very short and works both ways. There is no cricketer fitter than him. People keep saying one innings can make a difference but with a player like Kohli it makes a massive difference. His hunger and passion remains undiminished. He would have learnt from this phase let me tell you that,” he said.

Shastri also added that efforts should be made to negate the toss advantage. Even in the World Cup in UAE last year, toss played a massive role with most teams opting to bat second amid dew. “90 percent of the games were won by teams who won the toss. You must start when there is dew in both the innings. 6 pm start makes the start extremely important (with the fielding team not experiencing dew). If you have to make sure that both sides get to face same amount of dew.”

Pakistan great Wasim Akram was also part of the media interaction conducted ahead of the Asia Cup. “It gets boring that way. Something should be done about the dew factor but I doubt if anything can be done,” said Akram.

(Watch Asia Cup 2022 from 27th August, 6.00 pm onwards live & exclusive on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar)

(with PTI inputs)