"Very important tournament for him" - Nikhil Chopra on what IPL 2022 holds for Hardik Pandya

The upcoming IPL 2022 will feature the highly anticipated return of Hardik Pandya. Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra feels that the tournament is crucial for the all-rounder to make his case for the national team. The 28-year-old will don a new avatar after being appointed as the Gujarat Titans' (GT) captain.

Pandya has not been considered or available for selection since the 2021 T20 World Cup. His inability to bowl consistently has cost him his spot in the national team. However, he is reported to be fully fit and was also seen bowling consistently at 135 kmph at the recently concluded fitness camp arranged by the BCCI.

Hardik Pandya is bowling around 135kmph and scored above 17 in the Yo-Yo Test. 16.5 score is the cut-off. (Reported by PTI).

Opining that Pandya should make the most of his experience playing under veteran captains, Chopra said on the Khelneeti podcast:

"Very important tournament for Hardik Pandya. Mumbai Indians protected him, gave him a lot of freedom to express himself. But now, he is a captain. He will have to use what he has learned from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni to manage a team of his own. He has to set an example for the youngsters. Responsibility is the key, it would be interesting to see how he comes out of this new role."

The Gujarat-born player played under Rohit Sharma during his stint with the Mumbai Indians. He featured as the primary all-rounder during Virat Kohli's reign as the national captain and broke into the team under MS Dhoni's captaincy.

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"This IPL will decide whether Pandya can be considered as a pure batter as well or not' - Rajkumar Sharma

The last two editions of the IPL saw the explosive player feature largely as a pure batter with the Mumbai Indians. He had a phenomenal IPL 2020 in the UAE, but struggled on low and slow surfaces in the next edition.

Rajkumar Sharma believes that if Pandya promotes himself in the batting order at No.4 and has a good tournament, then he should be considered for the Indian team as a pure batter. He said:

"He is an asset in T20 cricket especially when he performs as an all-rounder. If he promotes himself to No.4 and performs well, then why can't he be considered as a pure batter? He plays at a good strike rate and is a proven match-winner. This IPL will decide whether he can be considered as a pure batter as well or not. If he promotes himself and plays responsible knocks at No4, then he should be considered, because he has huge potential, even only playing as a batter."

Enthusiasm, energy and positivity. Great session out there with the boys 💯💪 @gujarat_titans https://t.co/Lv14KQLWCo

The all-rounder has bowled in patches over the course of the last couple of years. He rolled his arm over in short spells during India's home series against England, their tour of Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup.