Former England captain Eoin Morgan believes that the presence of a fully fit Hardik Pandya significantly enhances India’s prospects, making them strong contenders for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023. Morgan emphasized the importance of Hardik Pandya’s fitness and his bowling skills. While Pandya has bowled sparingly in the Asia Cup, his performance has been impressive. Morgan highlighted that having a player who can bat in the top six and contribute effectively with the ball is a rare asset.
“The fitness level of Hardik Pandya, his ability to bowl. He has bowl little bit in the Asia Cup so far but he has bowled really really well and there are very few sides in the tournament that would be a genuine contenders that will have somebody who bats in the tops six and and has the ability to bowl,” Morgan said on Sky Sports.
“It’s the old Ben Stokes role that we have for years with England. Australia have the likes of Stoinis and Cameron Green but that role genuinely balances the side and over the course of the World Cup we will see various different pitches. Majority of the contending teams have spinners that bat really well. There bases are generally covered. But having Hardik Pandya fit and being able to bowl five and six overs of the quality bowling really does in my eyes make them probably favourite.”
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Former New Zealand seamer Simon Doull shares Eoin Morgan’s perspective, stating, ” I agree with Morgan on the Hardik Pandya thing. If he is fit and raring to go then they have the likes of Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, they are very good. They have got all the parts but can they put it together and can they play the style of cricket that makes them win a World Cup.”
Eoin Morgan also pointed out that playing in their home conditions would provide India with a significant advantage over other teams. However, he emphasized that coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma would need to focus on blocking out external distractions and maintaining their team’s composure.
