IPL 2021: “He is getting closer to playing” – MI bowling coach Shane Bond shares an update on Hardik Pandya’s fitness

Shane Bond and Hardik Pandya

Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling coach Shane Bond has stated that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will soon be back in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the former speedster refrained from giving a deadline on when Pandya will be seen on the field in the UAE.

Shane Bond mentioned that the franchise is ‘balancing’ its requirements with that of team India ahead of the much-awaited 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. He further added that the 27-year-old is training well and the team is desperate to get him back in the playing XI ahead of the next game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday.

“Look, Hardik is training well like Rohit. He trained today and is getting closer to playing. We are obviously balancing the needs of our team with the needs of Team India as well. The one thing this franchise does really well is looking after its players. We are not only trying to win this competition but also have an eye on the World Cup. We are hoping Hardik will be back for the next match and as I said, he trained today and trained pretty well on all counts.” Bond said in a press conference on Thursday.

“No hard directive from BCCI on Hardik Pandya”

The former Kiwi cricketer cleared that the Mumbai-based franchise has not received any hard directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the junior Pandya.

“There’s no hard directive. We are obviously desperate to put him back out on the field and he was desperate to play out tonight as well but you have to balance everything up. There’s also no point in rushing him back to get injured and miss the rest of the tournament when we may have a chance to win it. I think we’re doing the right thing as I said, hopefully, we will get him back shortly and he’ll get us back into the tournament, help us into the playoffs and hopefully win the tournament,” signed off Shane Bond.

I did face difficulties in Hardik’s absence as they have now lost both their matches thus far in the second phase of the cash-rich league. Apart from some big shots at the end, Hardik Pandya is also a handy fifth bowler in the shortest format. With just four wins in nine matches, the Rohit Sharma-led side has slipped down to the sixth spot in the Points Table.

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