Here's why Pandya would be out of action for long
Explosive Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set for a long break from cricket as he is likely to miss the upcoming series against Bangladesh, following the recurrence of his lower back pain. He is set to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) to assess and further treat his injury, which originally began during the Asia Cup last year. Here is more on this.
"He is certainly not playing the Bangladesh series, but how long he will be out is still not clear. We will know after he comes back from the United Kingdom," said a senior BCCI source to PTI.
While he missed out on the South Africa Tests, owing to team combinations, the BCCI source also said that he is not to feature in any of the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Baroda. "Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that he doesn't need to go under the knife. Then he won't be back before the 2020 IPL," added the source.
As per sources, it is being said that Pandya could also travel to Germany to treat himself. However, BCCI backs the UK as a more viable option. Meanwhile, he is likely to undergo back surgery, which could keep him out for five months.
While all in BCCI hope for Pandya to recover fast, it is sure that he is likely to play an important role for India in the ICC World T20 2020. Meanwhile, chief selector MSK Prasad had already stated that they were looking to give more game time to Pandya with the white ball, keeping in mind his services during the mega event, next year.
Speaking of Pandya's T20 career, he has been average so far. In 40 matches, he has scored 310 runs at an average of 16.3, besides claiming 38 wickets at an average of 25.68. In T20s overall, he has scored 2,146 runs in 91 matches at an average of 27.87, including 106 wickets at an average of 27.21.
