'His muscles were very lean' - Shoaib Akhtar recalls his warning to Hardik Pandya
Akhtar reckons Hardik can become the ‘biggest brand’ in Indian cricket if he manages his fitness well.
Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues have come back to haunt him once again as the Gujarat Titans captain missed his side’s recent clash against the Chennai Super Kings on Sunday (April 17). Stand-in GT skipper Rashid Khan revealed that Hardik has some groin issues and the team management didn’t want to take a risk. It must be noted that the all-rounder has missed several fixtures in the last couple of years due to injuries.
While Hardik has been brilliant in all the departments this season, his absence in the CSK clash has raised several questions over his fitness status. Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar gave an interesting take on Hardik’s injury troubles and also recalled how he warned the Indian all-rounder a few years back. While Akhar also told the same thing to Jasprit Bumrah, the speedster didn’t have as many injury issues as Hardik.
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya were lean like birds: Shoaib Akhtar
“I had told Jasprit Bumrah in Dubai and even Hardik Pandya. They were lean like birds. They didn’t have back muscles. Even now, I have such good strong back muscles behind my shoulders,” Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
“I touched his (Hardik) back, muscles were there but very lean. So, I warned him that he would get injured. But he said that he has been playing a lot of cricket. He got injured in the same match” he added.
The 46-year-old also reckons Hardik can become the ‘biggest brand’ in Indian cricket if he manages his fitness well. He even stated that the all-rounder can become India’s T20I skipper in the future as he has shown his leadership credentials in IPL. “Hardik Pandya can be the biggest brand in Indian cricket. He wants to be recognized as one of the key cricketers of India,” stated Akhtar.
Meanwhile, Hardik’s absence didn’t hurt GT much as the Titans defeated CSK by three wickets in a thrilling encounter, consolidating their top position in the team standings. However, Hardik’s fitness status will remain a concern for the side and it will be interesting to see when the all-rounder returns.
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