The year 2021 hasn’t been very pleasant for India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been missing from action since the T20 World Cup 2021. The star player was dropped from the national team for the home series against New Zealand and later from the squad for South Africa tour because of injury issues.
For the unversed, It has been a long time since Hardik Pandya has been struggling with lower back issues and because of the same, he has not been able to roll his arms consistently. Though he underwent surgery in October 2019 but he hasn’t been able to regain his full fitness since then.
The lack of fitness had badly affected his performance at the international level. Hardik’s inclusion in the T20 World Cup despite his fitness issues had drawn flak from many experts
In the six ODIs that he played for team India in 2021, Hardik Pandya managed to score only 119 runs at an average of 23.80. He failed to impress everyone with his bowling as he picked just two wickets in the year. In the T20I format, Hardik scored 165 runs in 11 matches with an average of 27.5.
Following his dismal performances, he was dropped from the Indian squad. Following this, Hardik underwent an extensive rehabilitation program in Mumbai last month. He has been training hard to regain his fitness. However, Hardik looks determined to make a strong comeback in the upcoming projects.
Well, recently in an interview with popular sports journalist Boria Majumdar, Hardik Pandya addressed the issue and talked about his preparations. On being asked about the status of his fitness, Hardik said that he is feeling ‘good and strong’. He also revealed that he is preparing hard to play as an all-rounder. He said:
“I want to play as an all-rounder. If something goes bad, then I don’t know but my preparations are all about playing as an all-rounder. I am feeling good, feeling strong and eventually, the time will say what happens,”
Meanwhile, Hardik has been named as the captain of the Ahmedabad franchise ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.
