The future path for great Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was outlined by former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri after he was passed up for the T20I captain
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who rejected Hardik Pandya for the T20I captaincy, set the path for the star all-rounder going forward, telling him to play as much as he can and draw motivation from his recent heroics in the ICC T20 World Cup, where the Men in Blue ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought. Pandya was among the favorites to assume the role when Rohit Sharma withdrew from the format after serving as his deputy during India’s victorious ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign.On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav was chosen India’s T20I captain, while Shubman Gill was selected vice-captain, when the roster for the current Sri Lanka tour was revealed, having only Hardik listed as a player.
Hardik lost the captaincy ultimately due to his persistent fitness problems. Hardik’s chances were tipped against him when chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated during the pre-tour press conference that they favored a player whose availability was consistently dependable.
Shastri provided Hardik with insightful guidance on how to reach his best performance level in the most recent issue of The ICC Review.Speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan, Shastri stated, “I think (it is) very important that he continues to play,” as cited by the ICC.
“I think it’s critical to be match fit. So, he ought to participate in as much T20I cricket as possible. Additionally, he undoubtedly joins the team for the one-day game provided he feels strong and healthy.”
Nevertheless, bowling becomes significant. The balance of the side suffers if someone arrives and bowls just three overs in a one-day match when you need to bowl ten.””If you can bowl consistently eight to 10 overs every game and then bat the way he does, I think he’ll play in one-day cricket as well,” he said.
From 2018, Hardik has struggled with serious injuries for an extended period of time.
That year, in India’s intense Asia Cup match against Pakistan in Dubai, Pandya was stretchered off the field after collapsing from a bowling strike, gripping his back in pain. After a stress fracture was identified, surgery and prolonged rehabilitation were required.
Without undergoing surgery, Pandya made the decision to heal, and he was able to recover in time for the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. He eventually needed surgery, though, when his back problems returned later that year.At the Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Bangladesh, Hardik recently suffered an ankle injury while trying to field the ball on follow-through.
He missed a lot of time playing for his country due to this injury, and the T20 World Cup was his sole opportunity to play again. When he came back, Hardik showed off his extraordinary ability as an all-round player by winning big wickets and making significant runs during the competition. Pandya achieved a half-century and a best score of 50* while scoring 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 151.57 during the T20 World Cup. In addition, he claimed 11 wickets in eight games with the best statistics coming in at 3/20, an economy rate of 7.64, and an average of 17.36.
India’s 11-year trophy drought came to an end as Hardik performed admirably under duress in the final, grabbing important wickets of David Miller in the final over and the threatening Heinrich Klaasen in the previous over.Subsequently, in Sunday’s series-winning triumph over Sri Lanka at Pallekele, the 30-year-old demonstrated his abilities once again by taking two wickets and scoring a crucial 22*.
Hardik will have enough desire to return to full fitness, according to Shastri, given his previous performances.
“So I think it is up to him really, more than anything else,” Shastri said.”No one knows his body like he does. He will undoubtedly be motivated by this, especially given how well he performed at the World Cup and how he timed his performances for both India and the World Cup. “He ought to be self-motivated enough to reach the pinnacle of fitness,” he said.
