Concerns about Hardik Pandya’s fitness arose after he was snubbed from T20I captaincy in the Sri Lanka series. Although the all-rounder opted out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month for personal reasons, fitness, especially around his bowling, reportedly remains a concern among the selectors for the Champions Trophy. Former Indian cricketer, Ravi Shastri has also expressed a similar concern.
“I think (it’s) very important that he continues to play. I believe match fitness is very important. So whatever T20I cricket there is, he should play as much as he can. And if he feels strong and fit, then obviously he comes into the side for the one-day game as well,” Shastri told ICC.
“But then again, the bowling becomes important. If you have someone coming and bowling just three overs in where you have to bowl 10 in a one-day game, then the balance of the side takes a hit. 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,” Shastri added.
Hardik was the vice-captain of the side that won the T20 World Cup last month that is why when Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the format after the final, it was expected that it will be Hardik who will become his successor. However, it was Suryakumar Yadav who was given the T20I captaincy for the series against Sri Lanka.
