In excellent news for India, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is reportedly set to make his international return from injury in the home white-ball series against South Africa. According to a report in The Times
of India , he is currently at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, recovering well from the quadriceps injury he suffered during the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE.
Pandya picked up the injury during the Super-Four clash against Sri Lanka, just before the final. He batted in the first innings, scoring 2 (3), and opened the bowling with the new ball in the second, taking a wicket for just seven runs. However, he was soon seen walking back to the dressing room and didn’t come out for the rest of the innings as the match went into a Super-Over, which India won.
Pandya missed the final of the tournament against Pakistan and was not included in either the ODI or the T20I squads for the ongoing tour of Australia.
“After a holiday break, Hardik reported to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Nov 21. He will be at the CoE for a month. He has started his gym sessions and should be back in action during the white-ball series against South Africa at some point,” the newspaper quoted a BCCI official as saying.
India struggled in the ODIs in Pandya’s absence. To maintain the batting depth, they didn’t pick their best spinner in Kuldeep Yadav, which contributed to the first two losses in the series.
Irfran Pathan, the former India all-rounder, had used his YouTube channel to worryingly ask who would take the new ball in the series?
“The other challenge is team combination. With Hardik Pandya injured, India’s balance changes. Who bowls the new ball now? In the Asia Cup final, Shivam Dube opened the bowling. Will that continue?” Pathan said.
In the first T20I, India picked both Dube and Harshit Rana in the team, alongside Kuldeep, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah. It looked like an excellent combination, but it couldn’t be seen in action as the match was washed out due to rain before the visitors could bat.
Still, nine years after his debut, Pandya remains one-of-a-kind for the team, a true all-rounder equally capable of filling in as a sixth batter as he is as a fifth bowler.
