'Don't know how long he will bowl' - Mohammad Azharuddin expresses concern over Hardik Pandya's fitness

Hardik Pandya, who was out from the national team due to injury-induced inconsistency, is now back in the reckoning. Like a true captain, Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL trophy. Not only did he score consistent runs throughout IPL 2022 but also took important wickets whenever the team needed them the most.

Hardik’s performative peak coincided with the culmination of the IPL 2022 when he took three wickets and saw his team home with a 34-run knock in the final against the Rajasthan Royals. Amidst the applause all around, however, Pandya has also faced words of concern over his consistency as the legendary former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin remains cautious of Pandya’s ability to remain fit. He praised the Gujarat Titans’ captain for his great individual performance but has also raised concerns on the longevity of it.

“He has the ability. He has done well for the Indian team, but because of the injuries, he was not in the team consistently. He has come back now; he is bowling his four overs. How long he will bowl, we really don’t know. But we definitely want him to bowl since he is an all-rounder,” Azharuddin said while speaking to Khaleej Times.

He is a good talent; he just needs that consistency: Mohammad Azharuddin

Azharuddin was pointing to Hardik’s bad track record of injuries due to his desire to do it all. For the past couple of years, he has been getting injured consistently due to overwork. Even the legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar had advised him to bulk up to avoid injuries a couple of years ago.

Azharuddin, however, was not all hard on Hardik but had some words of advice for him too. “In the IPL final, he completely changed the game. He took three wickets in four overs, then he scored 34 quick runs. He is a good talent; he just needs that consistency,” he added.

Pandya has been named in the Indian T20 team for the South Africa series starting on June 9. It will be interesting to see how his IPL form translates to international cricket.