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'Nobody can doubt his ability, the only thing I'm worried about is...': Kapil Dev's crucial advice to in-form Hardik
Fit-again Pandya led newbies Gujarat Titans to their maiden India Premier League (IPL) title in their debut season, where he scored 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and picked up eight wickets too.
Hardik Pandya on Sunday put up an excellent show with the bat and ball as he led India to a five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022 blockbuster in Dubai. He claimed 3-25 with his effective short-pitched bowling and then hit an unbeaten 33 off 17 balls, which took India past the finish line with two deliveries to spare. He smashed three boundaries in the penultimate over against Haris Rauf before finishing off the game in style with a maximum against Mohammad Nawaz.
Since his return to competitive cricket, Pandya has shown how vital his impact will be in India's T20 World Cup campaign later this year in Australia. The flamboyant Baroda all-rounder has had his fair share of injuries in the past couple of years. He was also sidelined from the national team following the T20 World Cup last year.
But a fit-again Pandya led newbies Gujarat Titans to their maiden India Premier League (IPL) title in their debut season, where he scored 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and picked up eight wickets too.
Legendary Kapil Dev described Pandya as a great athlete but warned him of injuries, which could disturb the setup of the entire Indian team.
"That is where the team gets an advantage (presence of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya). You have Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja who can bowl their overs and bat well. Any all-rounder is a cherry on the cake for the team. Hardik and Jadeja are great athletes. Hardik has made us so proud. Only thing is that he has to look after himself," said Kapil during an exclusive interview with ANI.
"Because when a person of his ability gets injured, the whole team gets injured. His ability nobody can doubt, the only thing I am worried about sometimes is his injuries," he added.
Enjoying a brilliant run in T20Is this year, Pandya has scored 314 runs across 13 innings at an average of 34.88. He has also plucked 11 wickets. In ODIs, he has gathered 100 runs in two innings, hitting one fifty and the best score of 71.
