IPL 2021, MI vs DC: Will Hardik Pandya bowl? Head coach Mahela Jayawardene clarifies (Watch)

It was a pleasure for fans to witness all-rounder Hardik Pandya bouncing back to form. His unbeaten 40 allowed defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) to outplay Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 this week.

MI will be taking on Delhi Capitals in Match 46 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday. While fans expect another great show from Pandya, the uncertainty regarding his bowling continues to prevail.

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Also, with Pandya taking part in the upcoming ICC World T20 for Team India, to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 17th, fans are clueless if he would head into the tournament as an all-rounder or a batter. Also, with not enough exposure to his bowling in IPL 2021, it could be wrong to hand him the ball during the global competition directly.

In the meantime, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene has clarified the same. Answering a query by Asianet Newsable, Jayawardene has stated that the side won't push for him to bowl, as it could affect his batting in the process.

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"Because he hasn't bowled since Sri Lanka, I think what we are trying to do is what's best for Hardik going forward. We are talking to Indian management and make sure sooner he feels comfortable, we get him into his bowling programme and prepare him," he said during the pre-match press conference organised by MI.

"We have to look on a daily basis and evaluate and see how he progresses. But, at the moment, if he pushes too hard, it might be an issue where he might struggle and might be an issue where he might not be an asset even as a batsman. It's something we have to take in as a count," he added.