T20 World Cup 2021: Hardik Pandya Undergoes Extended Fitness Session, Bowls Once Again In The Nets

Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 clash against New Zealand underwent an extended fitness session and he was once again bowling in the nets.

Hardik Pandya, not bowling in the matches is a big concern for India. The Virat Kohli and co. fields only 5 bowlers which is not a very good decision in the shorter format of the game where a game can change within just one over.

Also, Hardik Pandya is not having a very good form with his bat. The 28-year-old failed to play a good knock with the bat against arch-rivals Pakistan and he scored 11 runs off 8 balls. In the match, he even suffered a shoulder injury and he was taken for MRI scans immediately.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Hardik was seen undergoing extended sessions of fitness drills under the watchful eyes of physio Nitin Patel and assistant strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai. Also, he was seen doing bowling. Unlike other Indian players who were fine-tuning their skills at the nets, Hardik was doing strengthening exercises.

“Hardik Pandya Is Fine, If You’re Talking About The Blow On The Shoulder – Virat Kohli

In a press conference on the eve of the battle against New Zealand, Indian captain Virat Kohli said, Hardik is ” absolutely fine”. He stated:

“Hardik is fine, if you’re talking about the blow on the shoulder, he’s absolutely fine”

Virat Kohli backed India’s bowling unit and said they have been doing a good job for the team for a long period of time. He asserted:

“I don’t want to single out any individuals. I think as a bowling group we failed to pick up wickets. And we understand that can happen in the sport. It’s not a guarantee that every time you take the field you won’t be able to pick up wickets. These are the same guys that have been doing the job for us for a long period of time. We understand how things went and where they went wrong.”

Talking about the previous game Kohli said he don’t want to blame any single person and they lost as a team. He said;

“And we totally accept and know that we got outplayed by the opposition thoroughly and you need to accept that. You need to accept that as a professional cricket team, without any ego, without any excuses whatsoever. We have given none. And we will not give any excuses moving forward either. And hence I’m saying I’ll not single out individuals. We lost as a team, and that’s exactly what we believe in and that exactly was the case in the previous game,”

India will lock horns with Kane Williamson-led New Zealand National Cricket Team on Sunday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium

Also Read: New Zealand’s Predicted Playing XI Against India – ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Match 28