New Delhi. Former Indian cricket team fast bowler Irfan Pathan is not happy with Hardik Pandya being made the vice-captain in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Pathan says that when you have a player like Jasprit Bumrah, handing over the responsibility to Pandya is beyond his understanding. Former left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan said that Hardik Pandya’s commitment to Indian cricket has been questioned over the past few years and that a player like Jasprit Bumrah should play the role of vice-captain of the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup. It will be held in America and West Indies.
Irfan Pathan, who was the Man of the Match in the T20 World Cup 2007 final, has long been a vocal critic of Hardik Pandya and has been constantly targeting the Indian all-rounder who hails from Baroda. Pathan said in the ‘Star Sports’ programme, ‘There was a new plan after the T20 World Cup. He aimed to build a young team with Pandya and Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) as potential captains. However, questions were raised about Pandya’s consistency of performance and commitment to Indian cricket.
‘It shouldn’t happen because…’
Pandya has not played any domestic cricket for Baroda in almost five years and Pathan is not happy about his absence. According to Hardik Pandya, ‘Indian cricket needs regular participation in domestic cricket to serve it throughout the year. Injuries are inevitable but proper planning along with playing consistent matches including domestic cricket is important for a player’s comeback. But then there is also the player who returns from injury without meeting the same requirements. This should not happen as it sends the wrong message to the rest of the team.
‘All players should be treated equally’
Pathan also criticized the special concession given to Pandya. He said, ‘When they (players) see that one player is getting special treatment, it spoils the atmosphere of the team. Cricket is not like tennis, it is a team sport where equality is important. Every player should be treated fairly and equally.
‘No bad option like Bumrah’
Pathan, who has scored over 300 wickets and over 2700 runs in all formats of international cricket, believes that Pandya does not deserve to be India’s vice-captain. “So coming back to your question about making Hardik Pandya vice-captain, I understand the rationale behind it because of the importance of continuity in leadership,” he said. However, considering the current performance, it makes sense for the selectors to opt for continuity. However I believe there is no bad option like Bumrah. Hardik Pandya is not doing anything special in the IPL at the moment. He has returned to the IPL after an injury. After this he will go to play the World Cup. He has a fitness problem.
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Tags: Hardik Pandya, Irfan Pathan, Jasprit Bumrah, T20 World Cup
First published: May 2, 2024, 07:52 IST