All-rounder Hardik Pandya who is currently working on his fitness has asked the Indian selectors to keep him out for a while.
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Hardik Pandya is one of the most important players for the Indian team in limited overs format. The Men in Blue are very much dependent on Hardik and have currently no other all rounder to replace him. His Hard-hitting skills in the death has helped team India a lot over the years.
Hardik was included in India’s 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE despite his inability to bowl. He has been playing as a specialized batsman in the Indian team which has surely affected the balance of the squad. He only bowled four overs in the tournament and went wicketless.
Hardik has had back issues ever since he underwent a surgery in 2019.
Hardik was dropped from the team for the three match T20I series at home and it certainly looks like that he will miss the South Africa tour as well. However, questions have been looming over India’s upcoming tour of South Africa which is scheduled to start from December 17 due to the emergence of the new variant of covid-19 named ‘Omicron’ in the African country.
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According to ESPNcricinfo, Hardik has been currently working on his fitness and has asked the national selectors to ignore him for a while.
Hardik hasn’t bowled in all the 12 games he has played in the 2021 edition of IPL. Infact the last time Hardik bowled in the IPL was back in 2019.
However, Virat Kohli has always stood out in support of the 28-year-old. Kohli is in support of Hardik playing as a specialist batsman in the team in the past. “What he brings at that No.6 spot is something you cannot create overnight,” Kohli had said in a virtual interaction before India started their ICC T20 World Cup campaign in October.
Kohli added, “We understand the value he brings to the team as a No.6 batter, and in world cricket, if you look around, there are specialists who do that job. It’s very important to have that guy, especially in T20 cricket, who can play an impact innings at that stage. Even when the chips are down, he’s someone who can play a long innings in that way. So, for us, that is way more valuable than forcing him to do something he’s not ready for at the moment.”
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