India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been out of action for a long time. He was last seen donning the Indian jersey during the T20I series against South Africa in September 2019. His last ODI appearance came during the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 against New Zealand in the semi-final battle. Post the showpiece event, he was given a break for the West Indies series after picking up a minor niggle during the final stages of the World Cup 2019 tourney in England.
However, Pandya didn’t shy away from training twice a day in August. He jetted off to Baroda to fine-tune his cricketing skills. He was intensely working on his fitness levels and managing his workload as an all-rounder.
Finally, the Baroda all-rounder returned to the field for the three-match T20I series against South Africa.
Hardik Pandya is fit to make a strong return:
Unfortunately, his comeback was shortlived as he was subsequently ruled out of the Test series against South Africa. He also made himself unavailable for three-match T20I series and the two-match Test series against Bangladesh due to an injury in his lower back. The all-rounder flew to the United Kingdom for an injury assessment.
As per the reports, he sustained an injury during the Asia Cup tournament in Dubai in September 2018 where he was carried off on a stretcher after inadvertently going down on his follow-through while bowling against Pakistan.
Pandya underwent successful surgery in October 2019 to treat an acute lower-back injury and has been out of action since then. He was seen bowling at the nets ahead of India’s ODI series against Australia last month but the 26-year-old all-rounder failed to return to the field as he was not fully fit.
Earlier this month, Pandya was ruled out of the Test series against New Zealand after failing to regain full match fitness standards. The decision was taken after he consulted spinal surgeon James Allibone in the United Kingdom (UK).
Hardik Pandya all set to return to action:
In the latest development, Pandya is fit and ready to make a comeback through DY Patil T20 Tournament for Reliance team at Navi Mumbai. Pandya who underwent training at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru recently is looking forward to returning to the field.
“Yes, his name is there on the team list for Reliance1. He will play in the DY Patil T20, provided the National Cricket Academy (NCA, in Bengaluru where he is currently recuperating from his injury) releases him” a source informed as per TOI.
Indian cricket team selectors are now expected to visit the DY Patil Stadium to monitor Pandya’s progress since coming back from injury. In case if Pandya manages to prove his match fitness then, he will be picked for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, which will start on March 12 at Dharamshala.