T20 World Cup: Atul Bedade backs fellow Baroda player Hardik Pandya to fire

Atul Bedade and Hardik Pandya

Former India and Baroda batsman Atul Bedade backed India's struggling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who managed to score just eight off 11 balls against Pakistan on Sunday.

"He [Hardik] is batting well. I think he just had a bad day [v Pakistan]. We lost our top three or four batsmen in the first few overs and then it was tough to recover. Now, we will face NZ and they are a tough team. They have bowlers, who can bowl at 140-plus kmph speeds. We need to play the next few games cautiously. Only then do we have a chance to progress in the tournament," Bedade said of his fellow Baroda cricketer.

Bedade, 55, was an attacking batsman who represented the country in 13 ODIs. He is currently coach of the Baroda U-25 team and is in Mumbai to help his team get some practice games here. "The Indian team management should rethink their playing XI before the next game and make a few changes. Shardul is in good form. He is a wicket-taking bowler and can bat well too. He should play in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar," he told mid-day on Tuesday.

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