Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya took to Instagram and uploaded a video to give a little glimpse of the amount of work he is putting in behind the scenes in the gym as he tries to regain his fitness and get back to his playing form for Team India. in what is going to be a very important year ahead.
Hardik Pandya has been out of all cricket activities since he sprained his ankle during India’s Cricket World Cup league match against Bangladesh, exactly a month before India lost the World Cup final against Australia. In the first over of the match, Pandya, while trying to stop a direct shot from Litton Das, slipped on the field and injured his right ankle on the way.
After feeling discomfort in his ankle, Hardik Pandya was forced to lose not only the over, but the match, but the entire tournament. He was rushed to the NCA in Bengaluru, where he underwent some scans before hitting the nets 24 hours later, hoping to be fit for India’s next match.
He was under the supervision of NCA officials and was asked to gradually increase the intensity and speed of his running so as not to further damage the injured area. After successfully bowling 3 deliveries, it was in the fourth delivery that Hardik Pandya expressed his discomfort and pain, before the BCCI named Prasidh Krishna as his replacement.
Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Pandya had to miss the T20I series against Australia and the white-ball phase of India’s tour to South Africa, where he was supposed to captain the men in blue. There were rumors in various media that Pandya would not return before the ICC T20 World Cup later this year, but a BCCI insider later claimed that Hardik Pandya will return in time before India hosts Afghanistan for a T20I series. 3 games at the end of this month.
Hardik Pandya is seen doing strength training with an aim to make a complete recovery
In a video recently uploaded on his Instagram account, Hardik Pandya can be seen working out in the gym along with his trainer. He was seen training strength and muscles of certain muscle groups of the upper and lower body.
Pandya can be seen doing a variety of back rows as well as chest and shoulder exercises. She also trained her calf muscles by placing heavy weights on her thighs and pressing her toes. Her 3-year-old son Agastya was also seen having joyful moments with Pandya between their gym sessions and captioned the video, “Progress every day” with victory signs.
Afghanistan series just the beginning of Hardik Pandya’s test as captain in 2024
In context, 2024 will be crucial for captain Hardik Pandya. The T20 series against Afghanistan will be a starter package and will serve as a rehearsal for some very important assignments to come. First will be the IPL, where he will return to the Mumbai Indians after 2 years of absence and the franchise will reward him with the Captaincy upon his return.
Then later in June, Hardik Pandya’s toughest task awaits him as captain in the form of the ICC T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies, which will be a 20-team affair. More teams will mean more competition and it will be interesting to see how Pandya handles the amount of expectations and pressure on his head.
The first T20 against Afghanistan will take place on January 11 in Mohali before the Holkar and M. Chinnaswamy stadiums host the second and third T20 on the 14th and 17th respectively.