• Home
  • Who Said What
  • If He Plays Straight In Ipl Gt Head Coach Ashish Nehras Massive Remark On Hardik Pandya

'If He Plays Straight In IPL..' - GT Head Coach Ashish Nehra's Massive Remark On Hardik Pandya

image-lpnrxzimHardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra were captain-coach duo for Gujarat Titans (Twitter)

Ashish Nehra believes India's senior selection committee should be closely monitoring the updates on premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya ahead of the next men's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean & USA in June 2024. 

As Pandya continues to recover from an ankle injury with a rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore and didn't get selected for the white-ball leg of the upcoming South Africa tour, doubts have emerged on when the critical cog could rejoin the Indian wheels. 

The 30-year-old, who hurt his knee nearly a month back while bowling during an ICC World Cup 2023 league game versus Bangladesh in Pune, hasn't recovered since and couldn't be fit for the forthcoming ODIs and T20Is versus the Proteas. 

Nehra On Hardik Pandya's Injury And Comeback 

Speculations have been rife on the player's comeback. While some reports suggest he could be playing the T20I series at home against Afghanistan in January, rumours are he might not return to playing duties until the IPL 2024, which will act as a precursor to the T20 World Cup. 

As an allrounder who holds an irreplaceable utility and presence within the set-up and vice-captain, Pandya is an automatic selection for the biannual ICC event if he is fit and it wouldn't be an issue if the cricketer decides to leave no stone unturned in solving the knee issue and reserving his energies for IPL 2024. 

However, Nehra reckons it could get tricky for the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel in case they don't have any heads-up in India colours about Pandya's match fitness before the T20 World Cup.

"I don't know about captaincy, there is still time. It is a tricky one for the selectors also," Nehra told JioCinema on Pandya, who recently made a famous return to Mumbai Indians (MI) after spending two years with Gujarat Titans (GT).

"Hardik Pandya also got injured and it will be interesting to see when he comes back into the Indian side. If Hardik Pandya plays straight in the IPL, it will be difficult for any selection committee."