‘Match fitness is important...’: Shastri on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy snub

Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri advises Hardik Pandya to prioritize fitness after being snubbed from T20I captaincy.

After being snubbed from T20I captaincy, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri laid down the future path for the star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, advising him to play as much as possible and find inspiration to keep his fitness at top-level in his recent ICC T20 World Cup heroics, where Men in Blue ended their 11-year-long ICC trophy drought. Having acted as deputy to Rohit Sharma in India's triumphant ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign, Pandya was one of the front-runners to take over the mantle once Rohit retired from the format. However, when the squad for the current Sri Lanka tour was announced, Hardik was listed only as a player, with Suryakumar Yadav being named as India's T20I captain and Shubman Gill as the vice-captain.

Ultimately, it was Hardik's ongoing fitness issues that cost him the captaincy. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the pre-tour press conference that they preferred a player whose availability was consistently reliable, thus tilting the scales away from Hardik.In the latest edition of The ICC Review, Shastri offered valuable advice to Hardik on how he can return to his peak performance.

"I think (it is) very important that he continues to play," Shastri said while speaking to host Sanjana Ganesan, as quoted by the ICC.

"I believe match fitness is very important. So whatever T20I cricket there is, he should play as much as he can. And if he feels strong and fit, then obviously he comes into the side for the one-day game as well."

"But then again, the bowling becomes important. If you have someone coming and bowling just three overs in where you have to bowl 10 in a one-day game, then the balance of the side takes a hit."

"If you can bowl consistently eight to 10 overs every game and then bat the way he does, I think he'll play in one-day cricket as well," he concluded his point. Hardik has had a long-standing battle with major injuries that date back to 2018.During India's high-voltage clash against Pakistan that year at the Asia Cup in Dubai, Pandya collapsed after bowling, clutching his back in agony and had to be stretchered off the field. A diagnosis revealed a stress fracture that necessitated surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Pandya chose to recover without surgery and managed to get fit in time for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019. However, his back issues resurfaced later that year, ultimately requiring him to undergo surgery.More recently, Hardik sustained an ankle injury while attempting to field the ball on follow-through during India's Cricket World Cup 2023 encounter against Bangladesh.