When Team India plays Bangladesh in a three-match Twenty20 International series on Sunday, the team will play in the game’s shortest format once again. Earlier this week, India easily defeated the visitors 2-0 in the series, winning praise from both fans and pundits for their performance in Kanpur.
Eyes will be on some of the top Indian players who did not play for the Test team as attention turns to the T20Is. Over the previous few months, captain Suryakumar Yadav has focused mostly on T20I cricket; however, in this series, another famous player, Hardik Pandya, will also don the national jersey once more.
Recent reports of Hardik practicing with a red ball have raised questions about whether he might rejoin the format. Parthiv Patel, a former wicketkeeper-battler for India, asserted that the all-round player was compelled to use the red ball because the white ball was not accessible.
Before the first Twenty20 International match in Gwalior, Hardik participated in a tough training session with the Indian team, when he was observed by bowling coach Morne Morkel, as per an Indian Express article. According to the article, Morkel was reportedly “unhappy” with Hardik’s bowling, which was mostly closer to the stumps, and he would frequently speak with the all-rounder after each ball.
Morkel seemed to have a conversation regarding Hardik’s release point, and the all-rounder took the feedback sportingly, following which Morkel proceeded to the other bowlers in the net session.
Hardik, like Suryakumar, is predominantly a part of the T20I setup. The all-rounder failed not make the squad for the three-match fifty-over series against Sri Lanka in August of this year, despite being a regular for the team in One-Day Internationals. There were rumors that Hardik was invited to compete in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in order to demonstrate his suitability for the ODI format.
The all-rounder’s last ODI was during the World Cup at home last year; he was injured fielding off his own bowling in the match against Bangladesh during the group stage, which ultimately caused him to miss the competition.
