“Should not give him that much priority,” Irfan Pathan wants team management to ignore Hardik Pandya for T20 World Cup

Irfan Pathan has been critical of Hardik Pandya for a long time.

“Should not give him that much priority,” Irfan Pathan wants team management to ignore Hardik Pandya for T20 World Cup

Hardik Pandya (Image via Imago)

Hardik Pandya has failed to make any impact ever since he was appointed as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. He has managed only three wins in the nine matches he has captained, with the team in 9th place. 

After their loss to Delhi Capitals, former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan tore into Hardik Pandya on Star Sports. Pathan claimed Pandya has not made an impact for India and the team management needed to ignore him for the World Cup. 

YouTube video
What I feel about Hardik Pandya is that Indian cricket needs to make it clear that they should not give him that much priority as they have given him so far, because we still haven't won the World Cup. And if you think you are a primary all-rounder, you need to make that kind of an impact at the international level.
Irfan Pathan on Star Sports

He believes selectors are confused between international performances and IPL performances, leading to India not winning any major trophy. Pandya has been an important part of the Indian team since his debut in 2016, but has struggled with injuries in the past few years.

Irfan Pathan believes Hardik Pandya should make himself available for Baroda whenever possible

Irfan Pathan kept talking about Hardik Pandya, pointing out how Pandya misses matches for his domestic team Baroda. He said Pandya can’t decide when he can play, that he needs to ensure he makes himself available for all domestic matches.  

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya (Image via Imago)
First of all, he needs to play throughout the full year. He cannot pick and choose. Indian cricket needs to stop doing that.
Irfan Pathan on Star Sports

Pandya was close to losing his BCCI central contract because he was not a regular in domestic tournaments. He managed to get the contract by promising to play for Baroda whenever possible. His teammates, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, were not too lucky as they lost their BCCI contract for not playing domestic cricket. 

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