File photo of Suryakumar Yadav© AFP
Hardik Pandya's importance in Indian cricket currently is immense. Being a top fast bowling allrounder, Pandya represents a breed that is a rarity in the sport in the country. His presence in the XI provides great balance and it was seen in the T20 World Cup. Pandya bowled two crucial late overs in the final against South Africa as India edged past their rivals. He is handy batter too. However, he is not the captain or vice-captain for the Sri Lanka T20I series, and the reason was his fitness.
Former Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore, who has coached Indian domestic sides Kerala and Baroda, had an interesting thing to say about Pandya. He was talking about the Indian domestic circuit.
"The health of the national team is a reflection of the health of the domestic set up. In India, there is a lot of teams that participate in the four groups. I have worked in India for a number of years. The three formats that are participating are great. Then you add the IPL. That's the secret of Indian cricket," Dav Whatmore said on PakPassion.
"There's still some individuals who don't play white-ball cricket. For example, in my last few years in Baroda, Hardik Pandya wouldn't ever play white-ball cricket. It always amuses me that he's termed as the all-rounder from Baroda but he hasn't played for Baroda for years! So, yes, there are some who don't do that. But I can also see that recently that BCCI is keen on players participating in Ranji Trophy and other tournaments."