Reports: Gautam Gambhir unsure of Hardik Pandya's bowling fitness in ODIs

Hardik Pandya delivered a match-winning final over against South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final as India lifted the trophy in Barbados on June 29. The all-rounder requested a break from the white-ball tour to Sri Lanka but BCCI reportedly turned down the request as he has been included in the T20I setup. Things worsened when he was stripped of the captaincy role in T20Is

With Gautam Gambhir holding the Head Coach reins of the Indian team, he made it clear that players' fitness and availability are of utmost priority. Pandya has not featured in an ODI since World Cup 2023 and his regular fitness issues might hamper his stay in the ODI team. According to a BCCI official, Pandya’s inability to bowl 10 overs concerning fitness makes him an easy target to get ousted from the setup.

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"Hardik was also reminded by Gambhir on the call, that he was looking forward to seeing him bowl his full quota in ODIs,” a BCCI official said as quoted by HT.

Things start looking bleak for Hardik Pandya

After the World Cup 2023 debacle, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah came hard on certain players and asserted that cricketers have to play domestic seasons to solidify their places in the national team. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not granted the annual contracts based on the unfollowing of command. Now, Gambhir has reportedly asked Pandya to play the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda and prove his bowling fitness.

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The 30-year-old bowled consistently in the Indian Premier League 2024 for Mumbai Indians and was selected for the T20 World Cup 2024. He was an important asset for the team with both bat and ball but ODI is a different ball game altogether. The four overs in T20Is is almost doubled in ODIs and the upcoming Sri Lanka tour could be vital for the Baroda all-rounder. He has a great chance of proving himself in the subsequent series against England and most importantly domestic season thereafter.