Former South African pacer Allan Donald has expressed his concern regarding star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as he highlighted the strain that he takes on his body during his bowling run-up.
It has to be noted that Pandya hasn’t played since injuring his right ankle while playing against Bangladesh in the Cricket World Cup on October 19th, a month before India lost to Australia in the final.
Allan Donald Expressed His Concern For Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya had to leave the game against Bangladesh after delivering only three balls in his first over. During the third delivery, he bowled a full-length ball to Litton Das, who replied with a straight drive, sending the ball swiftly in the opposite direction.
While trying to stop the ball, Hardik Pandya slid his ankle over it. Initially, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but after scans and check-ups, he was sent to the National Cricket Academy the next day for further attention.
After scans showed no major issues, Pandya returned to practice but complained of ankle pain after a few deliveries. As a result, he was ruled out of the tournament. He was expected to return in December, but he couldn’t regain full fitness, and Suryakumar Yadav led the T20I team during the South African tour in his absence.
Currently, Hardik Pandya is putting in efforts in the gym for his recovery. While his return is anticipated in IPL 2024, details about it remain unclear.
Allan Donald, in a conversation with Sportstar, highlighted the biomechanics or body movements of Hardik Pandya as a key factor behind his recurrent injuries. According to Donald, Pandya’s bowling style puts excessive pressure on his body, and he advocates for the early use of biomechanics to avoid such issues.
Donald also suggested that Pandya’s extensive gym sessions could be another reason for his consistent battle with injuries. He said:
“We do lots of video analysis on young kids when they come through the system, to make sure that biomechanically, they are absolutely fine, and they’re not going to get hurt or injured seriously. So, doing the correct screening from a young age is incredibly important,”
He added: “I think Hardik puts his body through a lot every single delivery. I mean, it’s not a nice thing and also one needs to look at how strong these guys are these days. Hardik has spent a lot of time away from the game, building his body back up. And strength and conditioning is a major, major factor these days,”
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