Former Indian fast bowler Praveen Kumar criticized Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder. He slammed Pandya for skipping matches for India or his domestic team. Instead, Pandya returned straight to the IPL after recovering from injury.
Hardik Pandya, aged 30, had suffered an ankle injury during the clash against Bangladesh at the 2023 World Cup. He nursed this injury for some time. Upon recovery, Pandya returned to competitive cricket through the DY Patil T20 tournament.
Hardik will captain the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2024 after rejoining the team in an off-season all-cash swap with the Gujarat Titans.
A brief video clip that spread rapidly online showed Praveen answering a query regarding Hardik’s comeback. He stated:
“You get injured two months before the IPL, you don’t play for the country, you don’t play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That’s not how things should be done. It’s okay to earn money, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL).”
Praveen Kumar
Hardik spent seven seasons with MI between 2015 and 2021 before moving on to lead GT in the next two years. The talismanic all-rounder guided the team to a championship in their inaugural season in 2022.
The GT team narrowly missed securing consecutive championships. They encountered a heartbreaking loss in the final over against CSK, preventing them from claiming another title.
Praveen Kumar Believes Rohit Sharma Could Have Continued as MI Captain for More Seasons
Praveen Kumar said Rohit Sharma might have commanded MI for another two to three years.
A long-standing leader of ten years, Rohit Sharma, aged 36, guided Mumbai Indians. They emerged as champions during 2019 and 2020, successive triumphs. Overall, the franchise secured five titles under his captaincy, from mid-2013 till the 2023 season.
Rohit is second only to MS Dhoni in terms of matches led and won, with 87 victories in 158 games.
“Yes, Rohit can do it. Not only for one year, but he can do it for two years, three years. But eventually, the decision lies in the hands of the management.”
Praveen Kumar
MI rebounded after two disappointing seasons of missing the playoffs in 2021 and 2022, finishing third and falling in the second qualifier to the Gujarat Titan.
The two clubs will play their first game of the 2024 season on March 24 in Ahmedabad. With Hardik Pandya’s departure, Shubman Gill will lead GT in the 2024 IPL season.