Indian cricket must cease placing the same value on Hardik Pandya as they have in the past, according to Irfan Pathan.
Hardik Pandya has faced fresh criticism from Irfan Pandya. (Getty)
Irfan Pathan has called on the BCCI to cease treating India’s all-round player, Hardik Pandya, in the same manner as the last few years. Pathan, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Hardik, emphasized how the captain of the Mumbai Indians has recently performed below expectations for India.
Due to an ankle injury, Hardik, who last competed for India in a 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh, was unable to participate and missed both the South Africa trip and the home series against Australia. Afterwards, Hardik said that even though he remained healthy in January, he chose not to participate since there were “no games to play.” At the DY Patil Tournament, Hardik made his competitive cricket debut. He then went on to captain the Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League.
In a harsh evaluation, Pathan believes the board must acknowledge that he has had very little of an influence and that the Men in Blue have yet to win the World Cup.
“I believe that since we still haven’t won the World Cup, Indian cricket has to make it plain that they shouldn’t give Hardik Pandya the same amount of importance that they have up till now. And you have to have that type of effect on the global scene if you consider yourself to be a premier all-around player.
We are simply considering the all-rounder’s potential because he hasn’t had too much of an influence on the international scene. The differences between the international and IPL performances are becoming unclear to us. It’s a significant distinction, Pathan stated on the Star Sports Press Room Show.
Hardik needs to stop picking and choosing, adds Pathan
Hardik’s career has been severely impacted by injuries. The India all-rounder has unofficially resigned from Test cricket due to this, among other reasons. The physical demands of all three formats are too much for his physique to manage. In addition, Hardik has been bowling at full force since his injury return in early 2022, frequently hitting speeds of late 130s and even 140 clicks to establish himself as the team’s sixth bowling option. After the 2022 T20 World Cup, he commanded India in Twenty20 Internationals for more than a year.
Pathan, however, is more concerned with removing Pandya’s freedom to select which series and competitions to participate in. Reports stated that Hardik was first anticipated to face the same treatment after the board terminated the central contracts of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan prior to the IPL commencing. However, the all-rounder later pledged to make himself available for domestic tournaments outside of the busy Indian cricket schedule. Drawing a comparison between Australia’s achieved success and a successful team consisting of several contributors rather than just one, Pathan maintained.
“He must play the entire year, first and foremost. He is not able to select. It is time for Indian cricket to quit doing that. You won’t win important tournaments if you continue to give preferences to specific people. For a long time now, Australia has been expressing a preference for team games. transforming everyone into a superstar. Every member of the group is a superstar—not just one. You won’t win major events if you don’t do it, said Pathan.
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