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‘He’s going well and training hard,’: India’s strength and conditioning coach provides fitness update on Hardik Pandya
“Hardik is going well and training hard at the moment. Whenever you’re dealing with a stress-related injury there is a lot that goes into the rehabilitation process,” said Nick Webb
Positive news seems to be emerging for Hardik Pandya and his fans, who is said to be in good shape by Nick Webb, the strength and conditioning coach of the Indian cricket team. Out of action since September due to a back injury, Webb’s update on Pandya bodes well for the national team, which sets out to win the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year with the all-rounder expected to form a vital part of the team, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides by then.
“Hardik is going well and training hard at the moment. Whenever you’re dealing with a stress-related injury there is a lot that goes into the rehabilitation process,” Webb told Sportstar.
Pandya has not played ODI cricket for India since the World Cup last year, although he has featured in two T20Is against South Africa in September before a lower back injury ruled him out of action. After a successful back surgery and rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, Pandya was set to be part of the New Zealand tour, but was ruled out at the last minute for not recovering entirely on time.
After another intense rehab, the fiery all-rounder returned to cricket during the DY Patil tournament and showed sparking form by scoring a scintillating 158 not out off 55 balls against Reliance 1 BPCL, which came days after a blistering 105 off 39.
The all-rounder’s progress was enough to assure selectors of his fitness, after which he was drafted in India’s ODI squad against South Africa in late February, but the series was called off due to the pandemic after the first game in Dharamsala was washed out. Webb assured that Pandya’s fitness graph has since witnessed an upward graph and things look promising for India’s No. 1 all-rounder.
“Once you start bowling, you modify plans according to how a player responds,” Webb added. “You also need to monitor their progress and look for any soreness present. From what I have seen of him in Dharamsala the other month, he looked in good shape and worked hard. Hardik is an important player for us and everyone within the coaching and support staff is supporting him in every way we can.”
