Asia Cup 2023: Aakash Chopra points out at a flaw in all-rounder Hardik Pandya - 'Not a good thing'

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Days ahead of the start of Asia Cup 2023, former opener Aakash Chopra has pointed out a flaw in all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Discussing the top all-rounders who will be on display in the upcoming World Cup 2023, Chopra talked at length about Hardik's bowling.

Aakash Chopra rolled out the stats of Hardik, who is also the vice-captain of the Indian ODI side, and stated that the 29-year-old has bowled just 44 overs in eight ODIs in the last one year. He said an average of 5.5 overs per match "was not a great thing".

"Hardik Pandya. He has played eight ODIs if we talk about the last one year. He has scored 198 runs, including a half-century, and picked up nine wickets. So he takes nearly a wicket a game and has bowled 44 overs. So he hasn't bowled even six overs per game, which is not a great thing," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

The cricketer-turned-commentator acknowledged the all-round ability of Hardik Pandya but asserted that he needs to step up more as a bowler.

"If you see from India's viewpoint, you expect more bowling from him. Team just wants him to bowl more and that is why he is given the new ball at times. This has become a fashion now, give the new ball to him. He has played 215 balls, so he plays 25-30 balls per match. He is doing a job, which is not a bad thing at all. So his name should be there in the all-rounders' list," Akash Chopra added.

Overall, Hardik has played a total of 77 ODI matches and scored 1666 runs at an average of 33.32 and a strike rate of 112.03. He has also picked 73 wickets at an average of 38.06 and an economy rate of 5.59.