After sustaining an injury during the ODI World Cup 2023, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is back on the field for practice. His ankle injury, incurred while attempting to stop the ball against Bangladesh, led to his exclusion from the entire tournament and forced him to miss subsequent series against Australia, South Africa, and Afghanistan. Now set to showcase his skills in the upcoming Indian Premier League, Pandya, who will captain the Mumbai Indians, shared a video on his official ‘X’ handle. The footage reveals his return to training, with a notable focus on batting, while he refrained from bowling during the practice session.
Hardik Pandya returns to field after injury: Watch
Hardik Pandya IPL 2024 Update: Nevertheless, in anticipation of his comeback in the Indian Premier League, Hardik Pandya has been thrust into the spotlight amidst speculations of a rumored discord with Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Following the IPL 2024 auction, Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit with Hardik as the team’s captain, securing Pandya in a transfer deal with the Gujarat Titans for a substantial sum of INR 15 crore. Despite Mumbai Indians having to let go of Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who was later picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team’s head coach, Mark Boucher, asserted in a podcast that the decision to replace Rohit with Hardik as captain was purely a cricketing choice.
However, Ritika Sajdeh, Rohit’s wife, responded cryptically to Boucher’s comments on an Instagram post, reigniting speculation about a potential rift between the Mumbai Indians management and Rohit Sharma.
Hardik Pandya, currently a prominent figure in white-ball cricket, has consistently delivered both with the bat and the ball when called upon by the Indian team. Despite his unfortunate injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pandya showcased impressive performances leading up to that point.
While Pandya has successfully captained India’s T20I side, speculations about him leading the team in the T20 World Cup 2024 were dispelled with Rohit’s return to the format in January of the same year, after a 13-month absence.
Having played a pivotal role in Hardik Pandya’s development as a player, Mumbai Indians initially selected him in the IPL 2015 auction for a modest base price of INR 10 lakh. Pandya’s contributions with both bat and ball proved invaluable for the team. Following his release in 2021, he joined the Gujarat Titans, leading them to an IPL title in their inaugural season and guiding them to the tournament championship game in 2023. With his return to Mumbai Indians, the management expresses confidence in Pandya, believing he can lead the team to victory once again. # Hardik Pandya IPL 2024
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