India's star allrounder and Mumbai Indians' newly announced skipper, Hardik Pandya, is in a race against time to achieve match fitness after spending three long months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury that he sustained during the ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA Stadium) in Pune on October 17.
India are slated to play the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in June and the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) precedes it. Hardik is expected to feature at the IPL for Mumbai in a bid to help them win their sixth title and prove his fitness to earn a place in India's World Cup squad.
Hardik, 30, took to his X account, formerly Twitter, to share a video with his fans to provide an update regarding his rehab and fitness.
"I'm feeling very good after coming back here. I treat (this ground) as a temple, because the amount of things I've learnt on this ground, it's like a temple for me. What it has taught me is priceless. My journey started literally 17 years back on this very ground. I will make sure everything possible today, and every day," the flamboyant allrounder says in the video.
"Giving it all I got, every single day," Hardik captioned the video.
Notably, Hardik relinquished the captaincy of Gujarat Titans to be a part of Mumbai in the upcoming IPL edition. Hence, all eyes will be on the five-time champions to see how the leadership change changes their fortunes.
MI copped a lot of backlash across social media platforms after they decided to relieve Rohit Sharma from captaincy duties. Therefore it remains to be seen whether MI will garner the same kind of support as they prepare to chase their sixth title.
