Star allrallrounder Hardik Pandya’s absence from the Indian Test squad for the first two Tests with Sri Lanka, beginning on November 16, came as a little bit of a surprise, since he has become an integral part of the Indian squad, in all formats.
Now, he himself conceded that he needed rest after what has been an arduous year for him.
“To be honest, I asked for it. My body wasn’t up for it, I have some niggles because of the amount of cricket that I have played. I want to play cricket when I am totally up for it, when I can give my 100 per cent. I am lucky that I have got this break. I will train in the gym during this break and improve my fitness,” Pandya told.
“I won’t lie, I am really excited for the South Africa series. I would like to use this break to improve my fitness for the series. I have played 30 ODIs, 25 T20s and 3 Tests in last one year. If they are saying I have played less cricket then I want to tell them ‘I am sorry.’ As an all-rounder it’s even more difficult,” he added.
Hardik Pandya turned out as one of the most important player for team India in all three formats, in last one year.
