Owing to his inconsistent form, Hardik Pandya is likely to be dropped from the World Cup T20 squad. Further, there are reports from sport publications that Pandya’s spot will likely be taken by either Shardul Thakur or Shreyas Iyer.
Once one of the most popular all-rounders in the Indian team, Pandya has lately been struggling with fitness. The woes around his form deepened when he did not bowl a single delivery playing for Mumbai Indians against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the beginning of the second leg of IPL, he didn’t play for MI against both Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Details
Gujarat’s Hardik Pandya has been quite a find for the Indian cricket team. The all-rounder taken crucial wickets and laid down a carnage on opposition team with his bat. With his tattoos, highlighted hair and carefree smile, Pandya represents what modern Indian cricket is.
He caught the cricketing world by the storm after he featured in the Indian Premiere League in 2015. Since then, he has been looked as the only fast-bowling-all-rounder after Kapil Dev.
However, every fast bowler is known to go through a grind of injuries and fitness issues. It seems that Pandya too is going through a phase like that.
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The Facts of the Matter
All-rounders are known for being workhorses of the cricket world. Not only are their services taken when their side is bowling, but they are also looked as a reliable soldier who will perform well with bat.
Hardik Pandya was introduced by the Mumbai Indians in 2015 as a skinny teenager with a lot of swagger and promise. He performed well – winning two Man of the Match awards in the season. However, in the 2021 edition of IPL, a lot has remained amiss.
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India Can Make Changes to Squad till October 10
Owing to Hardik’s form and his fitness, he has not played multiple matches, and the matches he played, he hasn’t performed to his potential. What makes the situation alarming for Pandya is that the team selectors have a provision to make changes to the World Cup T20 squad till October 10.
Reportedly, one of the changes that the selectors will be making is the exclusion of Hardik from the playing XI.
What MI Bowling Coach Said on Pandya’s Fitness
Earlier, MI coach Shane Bond had spoken to the media about Hardik’s form and was quoted saying. “There is no point rushing him back to get injured and miss the rest of the tournament. Hopefully, we will get him back shorty and we’ll have him back.”
The MI bowling coach further said the franchise tries to look after the players for both IPL and future tournaments. “Well, he is training well, he is getting closer to playing. We’re obviously balancing the needs of our team with the needs of India as well. So, one thing this franchise does very well is to look after its players. Not only try to win this competition but also keep track of the T20 World Cup that is coming up next month,” he said.
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Comparing Hardik Pandya’s Performance from 2021 to 2020
To give a comparative report into Pandya’s form, in the first leg of IPL 2021, Pandya could only score 52 runs in 7 matches, with an abysmal average of just over 7 runs. Due to his fitness, he was also not allowed to ball in the first phase.
Compared to that, in IPL 2020 he had played 14 matches and had scored 281 runs with an average of over 20. Owing to the fact that he’s brought on number 6 and 7, an average over 20 is relatively okay, if not the best.
