Hardik Pandya the bowler hits his stride, delivery by delivery

Three wickets in the second T20I in Providence, Guyana, on Sunday took Hardik Pandya past Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin to third in the list of the highest T20I wicket-takers for India. While 73 scalps in 89 T20Is is more than a decent return for an all-rounder whose batting is his primary suit, the mere fact that Pandya is bowling regularly is an encouraging sign for India ahead of the ODI World Cup beginning on October 5.

On the tour of the Caribbean so far, Pandya has bowled in every game, taking five wickets in 21.4 overs across five matches. Though he didn’t complete his quota of 10 overs in any of the three ODIs, he opened the bowling in each of them. He has delivered four overs each in the two T20Is.

On Sunday, Pandya more than played his part in making Windies toil for victory in a run chase of 153. He dismissed Brandon King and Johnson Charles in the opening over of the innings before returning to get rid of skipper Romario Shepherd in the 10th over. The deliveries weren’t very threatening, but Pandya, 29, won’t mind that as long as he’s able to build his bowling workload for the 50-over World Cup.

“My body is fine. I have to bowl more overs and get my workload up for the World Cup,” he had said after the second ODI last week. “I’m a turtle right now, not the rabbit and hoping everything goes right as the World Cup comes on.”

With two months to go for India’s opening game of the World Cup against Australia in Chennai, Pandya will have to tread with caution at every step. For his all-round utility is essential to India’s hopes of getting their balance right and going all the way.

When India won the 2011 World Cup — the last time the 50-over spectacle was held at home — four of the top six batters could chip in with a few overs. Contrast that with the team likely to be picked this year and Pandya may be the only member of the top six capable of taking the load off the main bowlers. Provided the players stay true to form and fitness, the rest of the batting unit will probably comprise skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul.

If Ravindra Jadeja slots in at No.7 as expected followed by four specialist bowlers, Sharma may not need to look beyond five bowlers on days when everything goes according to plan. But that’s an ideal situation that will not always play out as desired.

The onus then is on Pandya to ensure that he’s primed to chip in with the ball whenever needed. For the record, Pandya hasn’t completed his entire allotment of overs in a one-dayer since returning figures of 10-0-55-1 in that heartbreaking 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand in Manchester.

That Pandya had to undergo surgery on his lower back just a few months later — in October 2019 — has had a significant bearing on his career. He stayed away from bowling for two consecutive IPL seasons (2020 and 2021) while remodelling his action to manage the amount of stress he exerts on his back. Pandya played primarily as a batter for India during this phase, ultimately resulting in his omission from the team after a disappointing 2021 T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE.

Since coming back into the India team in June 2022, rejuvenated by leading Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their inaugural season, Pandya’s body has held up adequately. In 35 T20Is over the past 15 months, he has bowled 92 overs for 31 wickets. In ODIs, he has bowled 74.4 overs for 16 wickets in 14 matches.

Injuries may have hampered his ability to touch speeds of 140kph on a consistent basis, but his shrewdness in knowing the lengths to target keeps him in play. He is perhaps aided by his batting instincts, constantly mixing up pace and second-guessing the batter.

All of this will only be relevant though if Pandya manages to stay in peak shape for the World Cup. Which is why, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, who will be returning for the T20 series against Ireland, Pandya’s lower back will be the cynosure of all eyes till the start of the World Cu