Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya will remain in Team India’s scheme of things even though he has been dropped for the home series against New Zealand, consisting of 3 T20Is and 2 Tests.
Hardik Pandya had a forgettable T20 World Cup 2021 campaign, barring one innings against Afghanistan, where smashed an unbeaten 35 off 13 balls. More than his performances, it was the confusion over his bowling status that hurt India and also put them in an embarrassing situation during the ICC event.
Salman Butt Doesn’t Think Hardik Pandya Is Out Of The Scheme Of Things
Asked if Hardik Pandya’s future in international cricket is in trouble, Salman Butt responded that it is too early to say so. Salman Butt pointed out that India backed the all-rounder at the T20 World Cup despite him being unfit, which proves how highly he is rated.
Ex-Pakistan opener Salman Butt had reckoned that Hardik Pandya should be dropped for the fixture against New Zealand in T20I World Cup as he has ‘mental barriers’ due to his fitness. But he went on to play all the matches, scoring 11 off 8 against Pakistan, 23 off 24 against New Zealand, and an unbeaten 35 off 13 against Afghanistan.
“Don’t think Hardik Pandya is out of the scheme of things. It is not a case of him having to go back and do the grind of domestic cricket all over again. We saw that, in spite of him not being fit, he was carried along (during the T20 World Cup). But yes, he will have to work on his fitness and his body,” Salman Butt said.
The 28-year-old bowled in only two of India’s five T20 World Cup 2021 matches in the UAE. He looked completely ineffective and was wicketless. Apart from being dropped from the national team, Hardik Pandya has been at the centre of controversy away from the cricket field as well.
A few days ago, reports started doing the rounds on social media, claiming an FIR had been registered against Hardik Pandya, Munaf Patel, and former IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla over rape-molestation charges.
Hardik Pandya Opens Up On His Wristwatch Seizure By Customs
Just a couple of days ago, media reports claimed that two wristwatches worth INR 5 crore were seized from Hardik Pandya at the Mumbai airport on his return from Dubai. The reports stated that Hardik Pandya allegedly did not have a bill for the watches.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder dismissed the claims and issued a clarification over the issue. He stated that only one watch worth INR 1.5 crore had been taken and that too for “proper valuation”.
Releasing a statement on Twitter, Hardik Pandya said: “I had voluntarily declared all the items that I’d lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid. As a matter of fact, the customs department had asked for all purchase documents which were submitted; however customs is doing proper valuation for duty which I’ve already confirmed to pay.”
Meanwhile, India’s T20I vice-captain KL Rahul recently opened up about Hardik Pandya’s axing from the Indian team. He described Hardik Pandya as a “smart cricketer” who knows how to make a comeback.
Hardik Pandya amassed only 69 runs averaging 34.5, with the highest score of unbeaten 35. However, Hardik Pandya’s highest in T20Is is only unbeaten 42 as he has scored 553 runs in 54 matches, averaging a mere below par 20.48 in T20Is.