India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been striving to perform at his best for the last four months. He has been toiling hard to put up the performance that he usually does. Pandya had a forgettable 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League as his team, Mumbai Indians, failed to qualify for the playoffs. Hardik Pandya’s performance was also below par at T20 World Cup 2021 where he could perform neither with bat nor with the ball. It was noted that he has been dealing with fitness issues and he recently posted a video clip where he can be seen ‘putting in hard yards’ for a strong comeback.
Hardik Pandya hits the net
Hardik Pandya is known for playing the big shots and taking the aerial route more often. However, in the video clip he uploaded, he was seen, playing defensive strokes and trying to be circumspect. He captioned the video and wrote, “Step by step. Putting in the hard yards.”
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Hardik made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians back in 2015, but the five-time champions released him ahead of the mega auction. In the meantime, it is understood that the all-rounder may lead the new Ahmedabad team in the upcoming edition.
“Yes, Ahmedabad franchise has received their Letter of Intent. However, they have been doing their back-room work for some time as it’s a huge process. As far as we know, Hardik has been zeroed in on as the captain of the franchise.
“Hardik with his local connect and being a proven IPL performer for Mumbai Indians for so long was an obvious choice as captain and premier player,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying on conditions of anonymity.
“The franchise has almost finalised its deal with Afghan spin sensation Rashid Khan and dashing keeper-batter Ishan Kishan as their second and third picks from the draft. As of now, that’s what is finalised unless there are changes at the last moment,” the source added.
The Ahmedabad team has already signed Gary Kirsten as its mentor and Ashish Nehra as the head coach for the next season of the T20 tournament. We will have to see how Pandya performs in the upcoming edition of the cash-rich tournament.
