Indian all-rounder Hradik Pandya was not included in the squad, travelling to England for the World Test Championship final. Cricket pundits claimed that Hardik’s injury might have played a part in it. Moreover, recent reports suggest that Hardik might give up bowling entirely in order to manage his workload.
Hardik Pandya, the star all-rounder, made a tremendous comeback after recovering from the back injury he sustained a while back. Although he was hitting the ball out of the park on a consistent basis, he was asked not to bowl in order to prevent him from aggravating his injury. In the 2020 and 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, Hardik didn’t bowl at all. Although, for Team India, he bowled a few overs against England.
Moreover, Hardik was not included in India’s squad for the World Test Championship final against the Kiwis and the five-match Test series against England. In the meantime, reports have surfaced claiming that he’s suffering from a shoulder strain.
“It doesn’t seem he is being able to sustain the load of bowling. He recovered from back surgery, changed his action but now it’s his shoulder that is bothering him,”
a source told the Times of India.
Moreover, the fact the T20 World Cup is scheduled for October and November and Hardik is India’s main big hitter in the middle order has forced the team management to give Hardik more time for recovery.
“Even Pandya realizes that he is vulnerable if he pushes himself with the ball. He is now focusing a lot more on his batting. The team management understands that with the T20 World Cup coming later in the year, it’s better to give him more time off so that he could be in the best shape for the marquee event,”
the source stated.
The source also claimed that Prithvi Shaw needs to work on his fitness before making a comeback. The WTC final against New Zealand will start on June 18 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. After that, India will play five Tests against England in August.