According to Irfan Pathan, Hardik Pandya hasn’t done well in ICC tournaments for India.
New Delhi: Hardik Pandya shouldn’t be given much priority by the team management as the all-rounder has failed to create an impact at the ICC tournaments, felt former cricketer Irfan Pathan. The Mumbai Indians captain, has been in poor form both with bat and ball in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), raising questions about his inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad, which is to be announced soon. One of the finest talents the IPL has ever produced, Pandya has failed to make an impact for his side.
With the clock ticking fast ahead of the final squad selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Pandya’s inconsistent shows have put him down the list for the final 15-member squad. Pathan, a former all-rounder himself, opined that the management should give more priority to Indian cricket as a whole and not just on one individual.
“What I feel about Hardik Pandya is that Indian cricket needs to make it clear that they should not give him that much priority as they have given him so far, because we still haven’t won the World Cup,” Pathan said on Star Sports Press Room Show, Ticket to World Cup.
“If you think you are a primary all-rounder, you need to make that kind of an impact at the international level. As far as the all-rounder is concerned he hasn’t made that impact at the international level, we are only thinking about the potential.”
The former India left-arm seamer observed that there is a ‘big difference’ between performance in the IPL and international cricket, and advised Pandya to play throughout the year instead of ‘picking’ tournaments. “We are getting confused between the IPL performances and the international performances.
“That’s a big difference. First of all, he needs to play throughout the year. He cannot pick and choose. Indian cricket needs to stop doing that. Stop giving preferences to individuals, if you do that, you will not be winning major tournaments. What Australia has been doing for many years is that they are actually preferring the team game. Making everyone a superstar. Not one superstar, everybody is a superstar in the squad. If you don’t do that, you will not win big tournaments,” he explained.