Top News

Whenever there is talk of a balanced and aggressive playing eleven in the international cricket world, the role of a fast bowling all-rounder is considered to be the most important. Hardik Pandya, considered the leading all-rounder and trouble-shooter of the Indian cricket team, has once again faced a big administrative and physical hurdle in the way of his return to the national team. When BCCI announced the Indian team for the exciting three-match T20 series starting from September 13 at the historic Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, one big surprising name was missing from it. India's star player Hardik Pandya has been officially ruled out of the upcoming home T20 series against Afghanistan due to a fresh foot injury and hindrance in the rehabilitation process. This latest setback has increased the concerns of both their fans and the team management. Indian team's main all-rounder Hardik Pandya was undergoing rigorous training and rehabilitation for a long time at the state-of-the-art Center of Excellence (CoE) of BCCI in Bengaluru to regain his lost rhythm and make a strong comeback in international cricket. According to information received from sources, Pandya's recovery process was going very satisfactory in the initial phase and he was also practicing bowling with full intensity and speed in the nets. But unfortunately, during this exercise, he once again felt slight pain and strain in his leg. After this new problem came to light, the medical staff and sports science experts advised him to stop bowling with immediate effect, so that the injury does not become more serious. Although he is completely comfortable moving and batting normally, it has not been possible in this short period to reach the highest standard of fitness required to play international matches. Fitness test before selection and compulsion of selectors: Clarifying the situation just before the team selection, a source close to BCCI informed the media that Hardik Pandya was bowling with full energy without any complaint, but the suddenly emerging leg problem changed everything. The source clarified that although there was no major hindrance in playing shots with his bat, the selection committee cannot take the risk of including any player in the national squad without 100 per cent fitness. With the series against Afghanistan fast approaching and the team management facing a number of tough foreign tours and multi-nation tournaments in the near future, it was felt imperative that Pandya be given adequate time to recover completely. Thus, the selectors had to take the difficult decision of keeping him out of the series due to his inability to meet the fitness standards. The fitness issue of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been away from competitive cricket for a long time, has been a headache for the Indian team for some time. If we look at his recent cricket career, he played his last competitive match for Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League (IPL) on 24 May. At the same time, his last international match representing the country in the blue jersey of India was the historic final match of the T20 World Cup on 8 March. Since then, that is, for the last several months, this 32-year-old experienced all-rounder has been completely away from the playing field. During this period, he has remained out of the home white-ball series against Afghanistan as well as the important tours played against Ireland and England. After the latest developments, it is now believed that the wait for his much-awaited return to the international cricket stage may take a little longer. Nitish Kumar Reddy got a chance, looking for balance in the playing eleven. After Hardik Pandya's exit from the team at the last moment, the selectors have once again expressed their confidence in the young and talented all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. In Hardik's absence, Nitish has got an opportunity to retain his place in the team for the entire series. If the pitch and weather conditions on the match day are completely favorable for a fast bowling all-rounder, then the team management can field him to bat lower down the order i.e. at number eight. Conversely, if there is a greater need for spin or other tactical options, the team management may prefer the experienced Washington Sundar, who has also been included in the 15-man squad, although his playing time will also depend on his current fitness report. This balanced and strong 15-member Indian squad, announced by the official Indian squad selection committee for the T20 series against Afghanistan, includes the following players: Shreyas Iyer (captain) Tilak Verma (vice-captain) Abhishek Sharma Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper) Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper) Shivam Dubey Nitish Kumar Reddy (subject to fitness) Akshar Patel Washington Sundar (subject to fitness) Varun Chakraborty Ravi Bishnoi Jasprit Bumrah (subject to fitness) Arshdeep Singh Harshit Rana (subject to fitness)