"Will you want to give rest to Hardik Pandya?" - Irfan Pathan on changes to India's XI for 3rd ODI vs Sri Lanka

Irfan Pathan feels Hardik Pandya could be one of the players Team India might look to rest in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, January 15.

The Men in Blue have already sealed the three-match series after registering wins in their first two games in Guwahati and Kolkata. Rohit Sharma and Co. might look to give chances to some of the players waiting in the wings considering the match is only of academic interest.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Match Point', Pathan was asked whether he sees any changes in India's playing XI, to which he responded:

"Ideally, you would want the guys who are playing to play continuously. If you have to make changes, it will be for load management. You have to see who has played continuously in this series. Will you want to give rest to Hardik Pandya, because there is a lot of load on his batting and bowling?"

Pathan reckons Umran Malik might be another player who could be rested, saying:

"Will you want to give a break to Umran Malik? I feel there will certainly be some changes for load management but if their bodies are fine and they say that everything is okay, there is no problem in playing."

Hardik Pandya could be given a break considering he has played all five games of the limited-overs series against the Lankan Lions and is also part of the squad for the six white-ball games against New Zealand. The Indian think tank might look to play either Suryakumar Yadav or Washington Sundar at No. 6 in such a scenario.

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"The team management is already eyeing a bowler who can give them wickets in the middle overs" - Irfan Pathan on Umran Malik's role

Umran Malik gave India crucial breakthroughs in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka. [P/C: BCCI]

Pathan was also asked whether Umran's role going forward will be to give breakthroughs in the middle overs and wrap up the tail. He replied affirmatively, stating:

"Absolutely, especially if you look from the World Cup's perspective. The team management is already eyeing a bowler who can give them wickets in the middle overs. We did the best in white-ball cricket when we had wicket-taking bowlers from both ends in the form of Kuldeep and Chahal in the middle overs."

The former Indian all-rounder pointed out that Axar Patel's improved returns with the bat will generally not allow India to play Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav together, observing:

"Now both of them are unable to play together because Axar Patel has improved his batting a lot, he is batting at No. 7. It is very difficult for both wrist-spinners to play unless you get a turning track where you play only two fast bowlers."

Pathan concluded by opining that the Jammu and Kashmir speedster can be used as a wicket-taking weapon in the middle overs and against the tail, explaining:

"Considering that, it would be in Umran Malik's and the team management's minds that he should play regularly and improve his confidence and performance. When fast bowlers bowl with pace, tailenders get more scared of pace compared to top-order batters, so he can solve that problem if Umran Malik keeps improving his performance."

Umran picked up five wickets in the first two ODIs against the Lankan Lions. He was slightly wayward in his first spell in the second game but bounced back to snare a couple of wickets.