The last few months have been a completely rocky ride for India All-rounder Hardik Pandya. It all started with an unfortunate injury against Bangladesh in the World ODI at home.
He was having a good campaign before suffering an ankle injury. The injury left him out of the rest of the competition. And while India did not miss him much in the remaining league matches or the semi-final, they did miss his services in the final, where Australia beat them by six wickets.
Soon after finishing the World Cup, he faced harsh criticism from fans after being named captain of the Mumbai Indians. The all-rounder decided to leave the Gujarat Titans despite being their captain and enjoying two successful seasons. He also faced criticism for that move before he was heavily criticized by fans when Mumbai Indians replaced Rohit Sharm with him as their captain.
However, the criticism has not affected Hardik Pandya much as he made it clear that he is in a calm state of mind at the moment. On Monday (January 22), he took to Instagram to share a series of photos of himself working out and practicing yoga. Sharing the photos, he wrote: “Quiet start to my week”
Hardik Pandya Return Date:
Since India will not play any limited overs games before the IPL, Hardik Pandya is unlikely to play any international games before IPL 2024. Team India is currently preparing for the five-match Test series against England. The series is scheduled to begin on January 25 and end on March 11.
Hardik Pandya is likely to make his much-awaited return to action during the IPL. IPL 2024 is reportedly scheduled to be played from March 22 to May 26. The star all-rounder would be desperate to hit the ground running upon his return and enjoy a successful season with the Mumbai Indians.
The five-time IPL winners have not advanced to the final since winning the title in 2020 and would hope that a change in captaincy will also change their fortunes.