The Indian Cricket Team has begun their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup. As a result, Rohit Sharma has met Rahul Dravid and the Chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee Ajit Agarkar to discuss about the team selection for the ICC event. One of the main agendas in the meeting was the selection of Hardik Pandya.
Will Hardik Pandya make a comeback?
As per reports, a decision on Hardik Pandya will be taken soon. But for the ace all-rounder to make it to the ICC T20 World Cup squad, he has bowl regularly. The new Mumbai Indians skipper didn’t bowl for a couple of matches in IPL 2024. This has made pundits question his fitness, while some even commented that he is injured.
In IPL 2024 so far, Hardik Pandya has bowled in 4 our of 6 matches. His latest bowling stint came against Chennai Super Kings. He has been sub par both with the bat and ball so far in the tournament. Against CSK, he managed to bowl just 3 overs, conceding 43 runs and grabbing 2 wickets.
Less options in Pace bowling
He leaded 15 runs in his first over, but the highlight of his bowling came when MS Dhoni hammered 3 consecutive sixes in the last over of the game. Adding more concerns, Pandya has an economy of 12 and has managed to bag just 3 wickets so far in the tournament.
With no Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah is the lone senior pacer in the team. Mohammed Siraj has been in poor form in T20Is too. Thus it is of paramount importance that Hardik has to bowl regularly and bag wickets to get a chance in the Team India squad for the World Cup.