‘Players comfortable with workload management calls’

MUMBAI: India all-rounder and stand-in captain for the first ODI against Australia here, Hardik Pandya said on Thursday that bilateral series are as competitive as ICC tournaments and added that brooding over past failures in global competitions is an exercise in futility.

India has usually performed well in bilateral series – both home and away – but has failed to go the distance in any ICC tournament for close to a decade now.

“I do not think we have tried anything new. We will be trying to be a little brave, which I think we did quite well in the last couple of [ODI] series (against Sri Lanka and New Zealand at home),” Hardik said on the eve of the India-Australia series opener.

“All these bilateral series are challenging, they can get as close to the wire as they can. That is the only way we are going to learn and start playing under pressure of knockouts (in ICC tournaments). But, we need not look at that (failures) right now, the past is past and we are hoping for the best things to come,” Hardik added.

Hardik, the designated India vice-captain for the Australia series, said that the players are comfortable with workload-related calls made by the team management. “We have to have faith in our strength and conditioning coaches. These calls of workload, who should play when, who should not play, they are completely on the guys who are professionals and it is their call,” Hardik said.

“If someone misses out because of workload management, this [team] management has shown confidence and trust in the players. That is why players who have gone out have come back with a lot of security.”