Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has said that the injury to Hardik Pandya can hamper the balance of the Indian team.
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India started their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with an impressive victory over Pakistan in Dubai. The Indian team defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets at the end to register a brilliant win. Team India’s bowling was on fire, but the top-order of the side again failed to impress.
The all-round duo of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja played an important part in India’s win. Hardik scalped 3 wickets with the ball, whereas he also scored the winning runs for the team. Jadeja also contributed well with the bat.
Kapil Dev warns Indian team around Hardik Pandya’s unavailability
Kapil Dev recently gave an interview to ANI where he talked about the importance of all-rounders in the side. He said that the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya is a cherry on the cake for the Indian team as they contribute with both bat and the ball.
Kapil’s main emphasis was on Hardik Pandya, and he said that Hardik should look after himself. He said that if someone like Hardik gets injured, the combination of the whole team gets hampered as none possesses the same ability as Hardik in the side.
“That is where the team gets an advantage (presence of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya). You have Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja who can bowl their overs and bat well. Any all-rounder is a cherry on the cake for the team,” Kapil Dev told ANI.
“Hardik and Jadeja are great athletes. Hardik has made us so proud. Only thing is that he has to look after himself. Because when a person of his ability gets injured, the whole team gets injured. His ability nobody can doubt, the only thing I am worried about sometimes is his injuries.”
Hardik has struggled a lot with his back problems, and he recently made his comeback to competitive cricket in IPL 2022. Even in IPL 2022, he got injured and did not bowl in a few games. Many experts have advised the Indian team to use Hardik efficiently to save him from injuries.
