As India prepare for the second match of their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, the suspense around Hardik Pandya’s fitness still remains. The ace all-rounder did not bowl a single over in the 2021 Indian Premier League or either the two warm-up games and the Men in Blue’s opening T20 World Cup encounter against Pakistan.
While Pandya resuming bowling in the nets ahead of the clash against New Zealand came as a pleasant sight, there is still no clarity on whether he is ready to take the ball in an actual match. The Mumbai Indians star’s injury concerns have upset India’s balance going into the mega-event.
As the uncertainty around his fitness grows, former India chief selector Sandeep Patil has slammed the selectors for including him in the Indian squad despite him not being fully fit.
Talking to Times Of India, Patil said, “His selection in the XI is up to the captain and the coach, and only the BCCI will know about it. But basically, if a player is not fit, then it comes to the selectors. If he didn’t bowl in the entire IPL, the selectors should have taken a call. They should have asked for a fitness test before including him in the team for the World Cup.”
The 1983 World Cup winner further asked for someone to take accountability behind the decision given the magnitude of the event.
“Someone has to be accountable. There’s no comment from (India coach) Ravi Shastri. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane said that he’s fit. How can you say he’s fit, if he became unfit during the match? I mean, this is the World Cup, not just any series or match,” said Patil.
However, Dilip Vengsarkar who has also served as the chief selector in the past defended the decision to pick him.
“All the decision-makers in this case, the captain, coach, physio and the selectors, would have assessed the situation regarding Pandya,” said the former Indian cricketer.
India lost to Pakistan by 10 wickets in their opening encounter of the 2021 T20 World Cup with Pandya scoring just 11 runs in 8 balls. Virat Kohli’s men will next face New Zealand in a must-win clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
