(July 27), The Lucknow Super Giants shared a picture of Hardik imitating the bowling motion of the late Anil Kumble during a practise session.
On the cricket field, Hardik Pandya is ready to make his comeback against Sri Lanka in the opening Twenty20 International match. The flashy all-around player last appeared for India in the T20 World Cup final, where he was crucial to the Men in Blue winning the championship. Following his amazing performance in the USA and West Indies, Hardik opted not to play in the five-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe.
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The star all-rounder, who split from Natasa Stankovic, is going through a difficult time in his personal life. Additionally, he was denied the opportunity to captain the Indian team in the shortest format when Suryakumar Yadav was chosen by the selection committee to succeed Rohit Sharma, who had declared his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket.
Hardik was one of the front-runners to replace Rohit as captain, having served as his deputy in the victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Surya’s elevation to the captaincy role was due to his recent injury concerns.
Hardik, meanwhile, has resumed working out with the Indian squad and is coming in with a cheerful outlook. Before the first game of the series, the colorful all-round player has been putting in a lot of work in the nets and getting along with his teammates, especially Suryakumar Yadav.
The Lucknow Super Giants, an IPL team, shared a picture of Hardik imitating the bowling motion of the late Anil Kumble during a practise session. They shared a photo collage in which Kumble’s action, which he was attempting in the nets, bore many similarities to Hardik’s.
In Rohit’s absence, Pandya has led India multiple times and was once the clear favorite to captain the team in the Twenty20 World Cup. However, following an ankle injury sustained during the 50-over World Cup last year, he missed a significant amount of international cricket, and Rohit was once again chosen by the selectors to captain the team in the USA and the West Indies.
Agarkar, accompanied by new coach Gautam Gambhir, told reporters in Mumbai, “He’s struggled with fitness.”
Then, as selectors, it gets challenging. We wanted someone who is more likely to be available, was the reasoning behind it, he continued.
