"Hardik Pandya's poor form of late has gone under the radar" - Aakash Chopra on the all-rounder's lack of impact in recent matches
Former India batter Aakash Chopra has highlighted all-rounder Hardik Pandya's dip in form over the last couple of months. The Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper had a mediocre 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with both bat and ball and is currently struggling for rhythm in national colors ahead of the ODI World Cup.
Since his return from injury in April 2022, the ace all-rounder endured a purple patch across all fronts and was one of the most influential players in the team. However, Pandya scored 346 runs in 15 innings and took only three wickets in the 2023 IPL season. Even in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, he has only 12 runs and a wicket to show for his efforts.
Chopra spoke about Pandya's batting position woes as well as the race between Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik for a spot in the playing Xi.
Chopra said on his YouTube channel:
"Hardik Pandya's poor form of late has gone under the radar. He did not have a great IPL. Personally, I don't see clarity in his batting position. Shardul is well ahead of Umran Malik at this stage. But, to be fair, Umran is not getting a chance as well. He is only been given a couple of overs."
Umran Malik last bowled his full quota of 10 overs during the tour of Bangladesh in December 2022. The right-arm pacer had a forgettable IPL season. He has only bowled six overs across the two ODIs in the Caribbean and is yet to claim a wicket.
"For full preparation, the entire team has to play together for as long as possible" - Aakash Chopra on Team India's rest and experimentation policy
Team India opted to rest senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the second ODI against the West Indies, which led to further experimentation like sending in Sanju Samson and Axar Patel at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
The ploy failed as India were bundled out for 181 runs in the first innings and suffered their first ODI loss at the hands of the Windies since 2019.
Aakash Chopra commented on the rumors that mention that Hardik Pandya will be rested for the upcoming series Ireland.
"Hardik Pandya has not played cricket in June and barely some in July. Now there are talks going on about him being rested for the Ireland series. I am just wondering which direction are we headed towards. For full preparation, the entire team has to play together for as long as possible," Chopra said.
Team India are scheduled to play a three-match T20I series against Ireland from August 18 to August 23.
Will Hardik Pandya hit top form in time for the World Cup? Let us know what you think.