Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has started batting practice sessions after recovering from an injury in preparation for IPL 2024. The prominent all-rounder had been sidelined since October 2023, sustaining an ankle injury during an ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune.
The injury occurred as he attempted to stop the ball during his bowling follow-through. Consequently, Hardik missed the remaining World Cup matches, culminating in India’s loss to Australia in the final.
Having successfully completed his rehabilitation, Hardik Pandya has resumed batting practice in the nets. On Thursday, he provided fans with a sneak peek of his batting session through a reel shared on his official Instagram handle. The caption read:
“Back at it �.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3XsyiZRvcE/?igsh=MWJydXFqaHlzNDlycw==
“Appointing Hardik Pandya as the captain will be advantageous for the Mumbai Indians”- Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar, the ex-Indian captain, recently supported the Mumbai Indians’ management decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain. He believed that this change would be advantageous for both the Mumbai Indians and the former skipper.
Gavaskar shared his perspective on the matter during an appearance on Star Sports, stating:
“Handing Hardik the captaincy is only going to benefit the Mumbai Indians. They have now given the freedom to Rohit to go and express himself freely at the top of the order. Hardik can then come at No. 3 or No. 5 and help them post totals of 200-plus consistently.”
Gavaskar also indicated that Mumbai Indians made the challenging decision with a focus on the future, considering Rohit is approaching the conclusion of his career. He further remarked:
“Look, they have always thought about the future of the franchise. Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and also faces immense pressure being the captain of India for all three formats. They have tried to reduce some of that burden and give that responsibility on the young shoulders of Hardik Pandya.”
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