Ravi Shastri Names The Conditions In Which Hardik Pandya Can Play In ODIs: The new era for Indian Cricket Team has started after the T20 World Cup 2024. India became Champions of the T20 World Cup after 17 long years. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the shortest format and paved the way for younger players to stake the claim. Meanwhile, the final was the last game for Rahul Dravid as the head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Gautam Gambhir replaced him for that position. It was a great start for the Gambhir era. India have already secured the three match T20I series against Sri Lanka by a margin of 2-0 with one game to play.
However, the big decision that was made by the selectors ahead of the T20I series was appointing Suryakumar Yadav as the full time T20I captain for Team India. Hardik Pandya was set to be the designated captain after Rohit Sharma retired from this format. He has always served as the vice-captain under Sharma and also in the T20 World Cup. However, as per reports the selectors ignored Pandya due to his fitness issues and to manage his workload.
Now, former India Head Coach, Ravi Shastri, has advised Hardik Pandya to take care of his fitness and play as many T20Is as he can and prove his match fitness for the ODIs considering the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in sight. Pandya was ruled out of the ODI World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in the game against Bangladesh. He lends balance to the team and hence is a vital cog of the Indian line-up. However, the recurring injuries has been a cause of concern for him and the team.
Ravi Shastri Names The Conditions In Which Hardik Pandya Can Play In ODIs
Shastri went on to say that he has to regularly bowl 8-10 overs in order to lend balance to the ODI team. Being able to blow just 3 overs in an ODI game disrupts the balance of the team. Hence, Pandya needs to prove his match fitness to get back into the ODI side.
“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 the 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,” he added.
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