'Always got your back' - KL Rahul posts a message for Hardik Pandya on the all-rounder's birthday

Whether it is his on-field antics or his off-field shenanigans, all-rounder Hardik Padya always finds a way to be in the news. The all-rounder who is currently recuperating after undergoing surgery on his lower back has been very active on social media these days. Following the back injury and the subsequent surgery, the Baroda all-rounder is expected to be out of the game for a good 5-6 months, ruling him out of almost the entirety of the home season and the New Zealand tour in January-February.

The all-rounder is celebrating his 26th birthday on October 11, following which a plethora of his teammates are taking to Twitter to post their wishes to the mercurial cricketer. One of Pandya’s closet friends and former Test opener, KL Rahul too took to social media to wish the former on his birthday. In an Instagram post, the Karnataka opener shared a picture of them together and wrote, “Happy birthday you fool, always got your back. Happiness, love and some brain cells this year.”

Its been a tough year for both Hardik and KL Rahul

This has been a tough year for both KL Rahul and Hardik. At the start of the year, the duo participated in a popular talk show and proceeded to engage in a ‘No Holds Barred’ chat with the host. The duo- especially Hardik- was lambasted for their seemingly “outrageous”, “misogynistic” and “immature” comments.

In fact, the issue escalated to such an extent that they were immediately suspended from the ODI series in Australia and the subsequent tour in New Zealand and were only let off after undergoing a formal hearing. Both participated in the World Cup but since then, their fortunes have once again nosedived for a variety of reasons.

While Hardik Pandya has grappled with his recurring lower-back issue; one that has ruled him out for 5-6 months, Rahul has battled with a horrendous Test form, one that eventually led to his axing from the side. The right-hander is currently playing for Karnataka in the Vijay-Hazare Trophy. In 6 games thus far, Rahul has racked up 336 runs in 6 games at an average of 56.00.