Hardik Pandya, for the last couple of years, has been struggling with injuries. In the limited matches he has managed to play for India, he hasn’t bowled either.
Hardik Pandya on T20 WC
That is one of the key reasons he is no more considered for Tests, where his all-round skills are needed. But according to him, he is confident of returning to bowling at full tilt by the time T20 World Cup comes.
“For me, I want to make sure, and I will be able to, that I bowl in all the games of the (T20) World Cup. I am just trying to be smart and make sure that I don’t miss that. My full focus is on the World Cup,” Hardik told the TOI’s brand new podcast ‘TOI Sportscast’.
For the record, Hardik hasn’t bowled much in international cricket since his back operation in 2019, and not even a single ball since then in the IPL.
“Yes, on the bowling front, what matters is how fit I am. Even after my surgery, I didn’t drop my pace. My bowling is related to my fitness. The fitter I get, the better it comes out. Whenever I play, I don’t want to play at 50%. (When) I play, I will play at 100%,” Hardik concluded.
Meanwhile, India have a lot of options in every department, for the T20 World Cup. But it looks like he will be the only seam-bowling all-rounder that India have at the moment. His fitness is paramount, as it helps Virat Kohli to play an addition bowler or batsman, depending on the situation.
Hardik is also one of the senior player named in the squad for the tour of Sri Lanka to play 3 ODI and 3 T20I matches.
India’s squad
Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya
Net Bowlers
Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh
Sri Lanka vs India ODI Schedule
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 13th July | 1st ODI | Colombo |
| 2 | 16th July | 2nd ODI | Colombo |
| 3 | 18th July | 3rd ODI | Colombo |
Sri Lanka vs India T20I Series
| S.No. | Date | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 21st July | 1st T20I | Colombo |
| 2 | 23rd July | 2nd T20I | Colombo |
| 3 | 25th July | 3rd T20I | Colombo |
