Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed his conversation with the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, where he had warned him of an impending injury. Well, ever since India’s semi-final exit from the 2019 ODI World Cup, Hardik Pandya has been going through a rough phase in his international career. He has been struggling a lot with his performances both with the bat and the ball and as a result, there has been a drastic change in his career graph in the international scene.
Hardik wasn’t at his best this year as well as he received plenty of criticism for his disappointing role in India’s embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup 2021.
Hardik has continued to suffer through the same back injury over the last few years. In fact, due to injury concerns, he has played solely as a batsman for Mumbai Indians in the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League and also during the game against Pakistan in India’s T20 WC opener in 2021. The all-rounder was eventually released from the squad from all formats of the game.
Well, speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar Akhtar revealed how he was shocked to see Hardik Pandya’s lean body and had warned him of an injury. And moments later Pandya has stretchered off the field. He revealed how he had predicted Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya about the fitness issues and had also warned Pandya about it. He had said:
“I told Bumrah in Dubai, even Hardik Pandya…I still have such strong back muscles behind my shoulders, but they looked so lean. I was shocked. I warned him that you will get injured, but he told me that he has been playing a lot of cricket. Exactly an hour and a half later, he got injured,”
He added:
“I touched his (Hardik) back, muscles were there but very lean. So, I warned him that he would get injured. But he said that he has been playing a lot of cricket. Exactly an hour-and-a-half later, he got injured,”
Further, the former pacer suggested some tips for the Indian bowlers including the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami on how to keep fit. He said:
“Bhuvneshwar has to strengthen his glutes, hamstring, lower back and upper torso. Shami needs to a leaner upper body. For Bumrah…it is the same, fast bowlers need to build their muscles. You go into a series with a six inch muscle and return with two inch after the series because there is loss of muscle mass. So you need to decide how much you need to run. Long runs twice is week is enough to keep yourself light on the feet. But if you know you are an explosive fast bowler then you do those specific trainings like sledge running,”
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya decided to skip the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy starting across the country, as he has been undergoing a rehabilitation program in order to regain his bowling fitness.
