Hardik Pandya, India’s star all-rounder, was sighted with Team India as they arrived at the airport ahead of their journey to Sri Lanka for three T20I and as many ODI matches. He was seen hugging assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and other support staff at the airport.
His first public appearance with the Men in Blue, noteworthy considering his recent personal news, occurred when he arrived at the airport with the squad before their trip to Sri Lanka.
Team India traveled to Sri Lanka for the white-ball tour on Monday after a joint news conference in Mumbai with new head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
The Indian players were seen boarding a bus to Mumbai Airport before departing for the island nation. The Men in Blue will begin their visit with a three-match T20I series on July 27, followed by the same number of ODI matches.
Fitness is a clear challenge with Hardik Pandya: Ajit Agarkar
Suryakumar Yadav has been chosen as India’s new T20I captain, following the retirement of senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Recently, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar appeared in a press conference and spoke about why Hardik Pandya was not named captain of the Indian T20I squad. Agarkar also discussed why Hardik Pandya was not included in the ODI squad.
Hardik, it is believed, requested a break during the ODI phase of the tour, albeit the cause could not be confirmed. Hardik has not played 50-over cricket since he injured his ankle during the World Cup in November.
While Hardik gives the ideal balance to India’s XI when he is available, the selectors are unhappy that he has failed to bowl his full 10-overs quota when he has played.
Agarkar said: “Regarding Hardik, he’s still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him… Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors… Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not….Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain.
We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we’ve seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup… We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah we’ve spoken to him..”
Here is the video of Hardik Pandya hugging Abhishek Nayar:
#WATCH | Mumbai | Indian Men's Cricket Team arrives at the Airport, they'll leave for Sri Lanka, shortly.
Indian Cricket Team will play the ODI and T20I series, 3 matches each, against Sri Lanka, starting on July 27 and ending on August 7. pic.twitter.com/ZmBmBqLasH
— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2024
Keeping Hardik’s injury issues in mind, the selectors have decided to focus on providing more exposure to the back-ups including seam-bowling allrounders Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Also Read: Sairaj Bahutule Joins Gautam Gambhir’s Staff For India V Sri Lanka Series