According to the recent reports of PTI, BCCI will not permit the Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 until or unless he clears his fitness test. The Gujarat Titans captain has already reported at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. He will be undergoing fitness tests for the next couple of days before he gets an all-clear to lead the IPL franchise in the 15th edition of the tournament.
Explaining the same, an anonymous BCCI source of PTI said, “Hardik will be at the NCA for next two days and appear in the various fitness tests. He is a centrally contracted cricketer and has not played any cricket since T20 World Cup in UAE. He would need to pass the fitness test as it has been mandatory for some time now. Last year, even Shreyas Iyer appeared for a fitness test post shoulder surgery before playing IPL.”
The national team and the NCA medical staff always keep a close tab on its centrally-contracted players. The PTI reports stated that Hardik will have to undergo these tests under the watchful eyes of NCA & Team India’s Physios.
ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah Enters The Top-4 ICC Test Rankings
The source explained, “He would need to pass the fitness test as it has been mandatory for some time now. Last year, even Shreyas Iyer appeared for a fitness test post shoulder surgery before playing IPL.”
Love the new threads, our armour for our first season👌 Let’s get down to work now @gujarat_titans pic.twitter.com/qn5mJeAo3G
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 14, 2022
Gujarat Titans had a 5-day training camp in Baroda. Playing purely as a batter currently is not at all an issue for Hardik Pandya. However, it is understood that he is only bowling at 75 percent of his full potential.
ALSO READ: Yuzvendra Chahal Makes Himself The Captain Of Rajasthan Royals
One of the sources of PTI also explained, “If Gujarat is looking at a pure batter, a skipper and a finisher, Hardik, in all likelihood, is ready. It will be interesting to see what is NCA’s Sports Science and Medicine team takes on his bowling. Is he ready to bowl at 135 clicks upwards?”
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya during Gujarat Titans’ jersey launch, kept cards close to his chest stating that his bowling would be a “surprise”. His team Gujarat Titans is scheduled to start their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on March 28.
