Ravi Shastri's tenure as Team India's head coach saw the side become one of the best Test playing nations. Under Shastri, India registered twin series victories in Australia, and also achieved world no.1 ranking in the longest format of the game. However, the one thing that India failed to achieve under Shastri was a World title. While India lost in the final of the World Test Championship to New Zealand in 2021, the side also conceded a semi-final defeat in the 2019 ODI World Cup and was knocked out in the group stages of the T20 World Cup last year.
The failure to win an ICC trophy under his tenure largely remains the one blotch in Shastri's legacy as India's head coach. And the former India cricketer opened up on the same during his commentary stint during the side's game against West Indies. Talking about the reason behind India's failure to win an ICC title, Shastri stressed on the lack of a genuine all-rounder in the Indian team.
“I have always wanted a guy who could bowl in top-6. And with Hardik getting injured, it became a massive problem. And it cost India. It cost India a couple of World Cups. Because we didn't have anyone who could bowl in the top six. So, that was a liability. We told the selectors, ‘look for someone’. But then, who is there?” Shastri said on FanCode.
Pandya had faced a back injury during the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup and continued to have troubles with the same over the next three years. He made himself unavailable for selection after the 2021 T20 World Cup to work on his recovery process, and eventually made a stellar comeback in the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
{{/usCountry}}Pandya had faced a back injury during the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup and continued to have troubles with the same over the next three years. He made himself unavailable for selection after the 2021 T20 World Cup to work on his recovery process, and eventually made a stellar comeback in the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
{{/usCountry}}Thanks to his consistent performances for Gujarat Titans in the IPL, Hardik earned a call-up and impressed on his return to India. The 28-year-old all-rounder is currently a first-team regular across both white-ball formats for the side.
Hardik is currently rested for the three-match ODI series against West Indies, but will return to the team for the T20Is.