International cricket can be extremely tough – Gautam Gambhir shares major update about Hardik Pandya’s fitness
As India grapples with the availability of Hardik Pandya, Gautam Gambhir shared a major update on the all-rounder’s fitness. While India enjoyed a rollicking win against Afghanistan in New Delhi where Nitish Kumar Reddy shone bright with his bowling skills, claiming six wickets in the last two games, India’s head coach shared clarity on India’s plans with the two all-rounders.
Explaining the decision to get Nitish Kumar Reddy into the series against West Indies as Hardik Pandya was still not handed the fitness certificate, Gambhir said, “From Nitish's point of view, it's actually a great thing that he's been withdrawn from the T20 format and he'll get game time against West Indies.”
Adding further, Gambhir stated, “We know how important seam-bowling allrounders will be in a year's time when we go to South Africa, and the more the merrier. And once Hardik comes back, obviously, it's going to be good. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing XI.”
Explaining Hardik Pandya’s current state, Gambhir said, “But again, Hardik, at the moment, if he cannot bowl ten overs and he hasn't played a lot of cricket since the IPL, we don't want to push him into international cricket, because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well.”
Gambhir continued, “So if he plays that India A series, he'll get some game time as well. And that was the clear message to him: if he can play that A series and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20s and the one-day squad as well."
