Hardik Pandya continues to face challenging times. Not only did he miss out on the India T20I captaincy to Suryakumar reportedly due to the influence of head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, but it has also emerged that his place in the ODI squad is not assured.
Hardik Pandya, whose decision to take a voluntary break during the Sri Lanka ODIs was reportedly viewed unfavorably by some members of the selection committee, has been briefed on the team management’s intentions moving forward.
It appears that Hardik’s ongoing challenge to maintain prolonged fitness played a role in the selectors’ decision. During their recent communication with him on Tuesday, they conveyed that while they were considering other options for the captaincy, they still valued him highly as a significant asset due to his abilities as a fast-bowling all-rounder.
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However, the condition was that Hardik must be fit enough to bowl his full quota of 10 overs. Earlier this year, BCCI secretary Jay Shah emphasized that players must participate in domestic cricket if they wish to return to the Indian team following an injury layoff. Exceptions were made for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah, but Pandya is not included in this privileged group.
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As per a report in the Hindustan Times (HT), during his conversation with Hardik, Gambhir had informed the star all-rounder that he must participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda to demonstrate his bowling fitness.
“Hardik was also reminded by Gambhir on the call, that he was looking forward to see him bowl his full quota in ODIs,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by HT.
Significantly, Hardik has been absent from any 50-over cricket since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where his tournament was curtailed due to an ankle injury sustained while bowling against Bangladesh in a group-stage match. This injury sidelined him for four months, preventing his participation in the subsequent South Africa tour.
