Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly senses that the inconsistency in Hardik Pandyas game time during IPL 2024 has taken a toll on his performance. Struggling with fitness woes the ace allrounder has been absent from Test cricket since 2018.
During the 2023 ODI World Cup Hardik Pandya suffered an ankle injury leading to a fivemonth absence before his comeback at the beginning of the IPL. However as the fresh captain of Mumbai Indians the 30yearold had a challenging IPL season. He struggled managing only an 18batting average and over 35 with the ball across 14 matches.
“Hardik is different because he doesn’t play that much cricket, and that’s a worry. I want him to consistently play cricket, for only then can he hit a rich vein of form. I would want him to do so, and it can only happen if he plays a lot more cricket.”
Sourav Ganguly
Furthermore, Ganguly downplayed concerns about Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s dismal IPL performance before of the World Cup.
“No, I am not worried. Rohit is a great of the game, and if you see what he did in the 50-over World Cup, I am confident he will do that again. At this level, form is about a couple of games when you have that kind of quality. So, I am not worried about Rohit. He has scored runs across the world, and has played a lot of cricket and will surely do the job expected of him.”
Sourav Ganguly
Following a strong start to the IPL season, Rohit faded in the second half of the competition, finishing with 417 runs at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150 in 14 games.
Hardik and Rohit’s lack of form caused Mumbai Indians (MI) to finish last in the IPL 2024 points standings.
“Our bowlers shouldn’t have an issue in the World Cup” – Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly perceived Indias pacers aside from Jasprit Bumrah to be in a rather nonchalant form owing to the dynamic nature of pitches in the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and the versatile Hardik Pandya are the other pacebowling options in the Indian squad. Unfortunately their performances in the IPL were below par exhibiting high economy rates of 10.03 9.18 and 10.75 respectively. This downturn sheds light on the challenges they confronted during the tournament.
“I am not really worried. Again, you have to take into account the nature of pitches in the IPL, the ground dimensions and the conditions on offer for the fast bowlers. The World Cup will be very different, and the conditions in the West Indies will not be anywhere near the IPL. Our bowlers shouldn’t have an issue in the World Cup is my assumption.”
Sourav Ganguly
The Men in Blue faced a tough 23 defeat in the T20I series on their recent West Indies tour. Last year they endured a challenging 23 loss in the T20I series on their West Indies tour. They will begin their 2024 T20 World Cup quest against Ireland in New York on Thursday June 6.