Hardik Pandya and his fitness has been the talking point over the last couple of years in Indian cricket. He returned fully fit last year ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 but when it came to playing as a complete all-rounder, Hardik still doesn't seem to be up to the mark. The Baroda cricketer bowled only 9.4 overs in two ODIs against the West Indies in the ongoing series.
Moreover, while playing for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, the man delivered only 25 overs in 16 matches as the team finished the season as the runners-up. There have always been question marks over his bowling ability ever since he has returned from injury. However, Hardik Pandya has insisted now that he is ready to shoulder the bowling workload with World Cup coming in October-November.
He is wanting to bowl more overs in the lead up to the mega event but insists he is not rabbit yet. "My body is fine. I have to bowl more overs and get my workload up for the World Cup. I'm a turtle right now, not the rabbit and hoping everything goes right as the World Cup comes on," Hardik said at the end of second ODI. It is a good news for team India and fans as the all-rounder is keen on bowling more for World Cup but one will hope that he doesn't get injured again.
As far as his batting is concerned, Hardik Pandya has had two disappointing outings with the bat scoring five and seven runs in two matches so far. With Rohit Sharma expected to return to lead the side, the all-rounder, without captaincy, might look to add more runs to his tally in the third and final deciding ODI.
