Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Nayar, the new India assistant coach, almost came to blows during Team India’s first training session in Kandy before the Sri Lanka T20Is.
The Indian Cricket Team had their first practice session under new head coach Gautam Gambhir at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday, July 23. The T20I series is set to begin on July 27 with the remainder of the matches to be played on July 28 and 30 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
Hardik Pandya has been the most debated player in the buildup to the series. He was expected to take up the T20I captaincy after Rohit Sharma departed from the format, as he was the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup team.
However, the selectors chose Suryakumar Yadav as an option, citing concerns about the all-rounder’s condition and hence his availability as India prepares for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Nayar argue during net session
Hardik was spotted having a lengthy conversation with new head coach Gautam Gambhir during the training session. Later, he faced the two openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, who were only given 40 minutes to target all of the bowlers in the nets.
Hardik then batted under the cautious observation of new assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, who eventually put him in a match situation.
However, RevSportz reported that Hardik fired a shot past the point zone and instantly claimed it to be a boundary, but Nayar objected, claiming he had a fielder in that area. When Hardik inquired about the specific position of the fielder, Nayar indicated where the reporter, dressed in a red T-shirt, was standing.
On Hardik’s insistence, when Nayar asked the reporter about the shot, he said, “If you have placed your fielder here, then it’s a boundary.”
The cheeky response left Nayar and Hardik in splits before the former mistook the reporter for a fan, after which the latter clarified.
Hardik eventually won the simulation practice and two later even had a chat with the reporter at the end of the practice session, where the all-rounder continued his query on the shot.
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