In the T20 World Cup 2024 final, India defeated South Africa with a match-winning last over from Hardik Pandya, and on June 29 in Barbados, they were awarded the championship. The all-rounder asked for a vacation from the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, but the BCCI allegedly declined his request because he was already part of the T20I squad. When he lost his captaincy in T20Is, things became worse.
Gautam Gambhir, who is currently in charge of the Indian team as head coach, has stated that the players’ availability and fitness come first. Since the World Cup in 2023, Pandya has not played in an ODI; his persistent fitness problems may make it difficult for him to stay on the ODI team. Pandya is an easy target to be removed from the setup because of his incapacity to bowl 10 overs with any degree of fitness, according to a BCCI official.
“Gambhir also mentioned to Hardik during the call that he was excited to watch him bowl his entire allotment in One-Day Internationals,” a BCCI official stated, as cited by HT.
For Hardik Pandya, things start to look bad.
Cricket players need to play domestic seasons to guarantee their spots in the national team, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said after the World Cup 2023 fiasco. Due to their disobedience of orders, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not given annual contracts. It is now rumoured that Gambhir has requested Pandya to represent Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and demonstrate his bowling prowess.
Because of his reliable bowling in the Indian Premier League 2024 for the Mumbai Indians, the 30-year-old was chosen for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Also Read: Aakash Chopra analyses India’s team for the upcoming Sri Lanka series and queries Hardik Pandya’s desire to play longer formats
Although ODI is a completely different ball game, he was a valuable contributor to the team both with the bat and the ball. For the Baroda all-rounder, the forthcoming Sri Lankan tour may be crucial as the four overs in T20Is are nearly twice as long as they are in ODIs. He stands a good chance of establishing himself in the next series against England and, more significantly, in the domestic season that follows.
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