Hardik Pandya made his much-awaited return to competitive cricket in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. He didn’t just do the job for his side with the bat, but also bowled at full pace in the initial stage of the tournament. Pandya was bowling at a fast pace and steaming at the batsmen in the first few matches.
But a fitness issue forced him to miss a fixture last month and Pandya has only bowled 1 over in the past 6 matches. It isn’t known whether Pandya is still dealing with fitness issues or not. But with him only playing as a specialist batsman now, there’s surely something that is keeping him away from bowling.
Sharing his take on Pandya, former India captain Ajay Jadeja has opined that the all-rounder tried to show off and he is himself to be blamed for the fitness issues.
“He (Hardik Pandya) has no one to blame but himself. There was no doubt that he was injured, he was making a comeback. He bowled at 140 km/h, which was perhaps more than what the team required. He probably tried to show off that he can do it, wanted to prove to the doubters wrong,” Jadeja said.
“He put in all his effort and body… So much that now he can’t even run properly. And this is a learning phase of life. A cricketer gradually understands his limits. So once again it showed his immaturity.”
Pandy has excelled on the batting and captaincy front. Under him, GT have become the first team to qualify for the IPL 2022 playoffs. Another win here will confirm a top-two finish for the debutants. On the batting front, he has done well and with 344 runs, the GT skipper sits at the 9th spot. He was in the top five last week.
