IND vs SL: "They Will Have To Concentrate A Lot On His Fitness"- Irfan Pathan Cautions BCCI Against Appointing Hardik Pandya As India's T20I Captain

The veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya is scheduled to take the helm once more in the game’s shortest format. He will be in control of a youthful team that will play Sri Lanka at home in a three-match T20I series beginning on Tuesday in Mumbai. 

There has been a call for Pandya to take over as the team’s future captain in the shortest format since India was eliminated from the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 after falling to England by 10 wickets. And it’s possible that he’ll be accountable in the long term. But as of right now, the board is happy with Rohit, and there won’t be a change in command any time soon. 

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Sri Lanka Series A Challenge For Hardik Pandya As A Batter

But in terms of Pandya’s ability, in just a few short months, he has set some enormous precedents. His charismatic return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2022 as the captain of the Gujarat Titans saw his squad win its first championship, too, in just its first season. Later, under his leadership, the squad made successful trips to Ireland and New Zealand. And he will once again be in charge when Sri Lanka visits India.

The forthcoming series against Sri Lanka will also be a challenge for Pandya, the all-rounder and his position as a finisher, since Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are not included in the T20 team. 

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Irfan Pathan Worried About Hardik Pandya’s Fitness

Irfan Pathan, a former Indian all-rounder, has cautioned the national selectors to observe Pandya’s fitness closely before awarding him the leadership of the Indian team. 

“The captaincy Hardik has done, whether it was for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL or at the start for India, I felt the communication was extremely good. He was seen as very agile,” Pathan said during an interaction on Star Sports. 

“When there was talk about his captaincy, I was extremely impressed with his approach but along with that India will have to keep in mind that if you are making him the long-term captain, they will have to concentrate a lot on his fitness, whether you talk about him or the team management. It will be very crucial going ahead,” he added. 

It appears that the Indian team management and selectors will need to be extremely cautious when placing too much strain on Hardik Pandya because his back issue might reappear to haunt him again. 

Also Read: IND vs SL: Sanju Samson Dropped From ODI Squad On Rohit Sharma’s Call, Selectors Wanted To Go Ahead With Sanju Over KL Rahul: Sources

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