‘Fit Pandya can be invaluable for India’s WC plans’

Former India batter WV Raman believes a fit Hardik Pandya can provide India a crucial edge in the 2027 ODI World Cup, with his ability to contribute as a batter and a bowler offering the team much-needed flexibility in the big-ticket event.

Raman, however, stressed that Pandya’s role will depend on his ability to maintain fitness levels, while also calling on the team management to use the next 12 to 15 months to experiment and finalise the squad and define individual roles ahead of the tournament.

“I believe that he can be a terrific cricketer for the Indian team. The flexibility he can provide if fit and able to bowl 10 overs is invaluable. But I think it will all come down to the fitness levels he can maintain,” Raman told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview here.

“Even for this Afghanistan series, he was picked in the squad, but unfortunately, he was pulled out at the last minute because of injuries,” he observed. India have around 15 ODIs before the World Cup, and Raman feels those games should be used to identify the right combination and address the team’s repeated struggles in knockout matches. Raman believes the team management must enter an “experimental mode” over the next year.

“Having reached the knockout stage eight times and succeeded only twice shows that the team management needs to look at various options and get into an experimental mode,” he said. “The 12 to 15 months leading up to the tournament are very important. They must utilise all bilateral series to try different combinations. This will help players discover themselves and allow the management to assess their main strength, bench strength and possible options as the World Cup approaches,” he added.

India have won the ODI World Cup twice - in 1983 and 2011 - but lost finals in 2003 and 2023 besides suffering semi-final exits in 1987, 1996, 2015 and 2019.