Ajit Agarkar doesn't see Hardik Pandya as a proper third seamer

While defending a paltry total of 112 runs in the first ODI in Dharamsala, the Indian pacers made early inroads by dismissing Danushka Gunathilaka (1) and Lahiru Thirimanne (0) cheaply. Coming in as the first-change bowler in the 11th over, Pandya, however, gave away 14 runs, in his very first over, that resulted in the momentum shifting in favour of the hosts. The Baroda all-rounder ended up spending 39 runs in five overs at an economy rate of 7.50 and that has made Agarkar question Pandya’s usage as the third seamer. 

“I think Pandya’s bowling needs a lot more work. His batting has probably improved a lot more than his bowler. You have seen in him in recent times, he doesn’t bowl 10 overs than often and that tells you what the captain sometime thinks of him as well. If he is going to be a regular third seamer, his bowling needs a lot of work,” Agarkar told Cricinfo.

India are scheduled to travel to South Africa next and after a full-fledged series there, the team will also travel to countries like England and Australia for both Test and limited-overs matches. Agarkar believes that India need one of their top five batsmen to develop their bowling skills so that they can serve as a back-up option if the need arises. 

“In the Indian conditions, you might get away with a part-time spinner, but Kedar Jadhav is missing. But, not a lot of top order batsmen can bowl those five overs. So, Washington Sundar’s inclusion is a good addition to the team. But, you need a sixth bowler to put pressure on the opposition now because Pandya is not ready to be the third seamer yet,” Agarkar explained.