Hardik Pandya, the Indian all-rounder is appointed as skipper in Rohit Sharma’s absence for the ongoing T20I series against Sri Lanka, and India won the first T20I by just 2 runs on January 3, Tuesday.
Well, there is no denying fact that the Indian Cricket Team’s think tank is yet to find a perfect replacement for the allrounder and if the any of the batters gets injured, team India would find themselves in a very difficult and tough situation.
Recently, Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer, opened up on the same issue and emphasized that the selectors must start to find a replacement for the right-handed batter in case he gets injured in the future. As we all know, Hardik is known for his proneness to injury as the right-handed batter has a history of continued niggles and sprains.
“India needs to quickly identify a backup for Hardik Pandya. If something happens to him, India will be in serious trouble,”
Gambhir quoted in a conversation with Star Sports.
However, while some netizens took a dig at the cricketer, many seconded his opinion and claimed that it was a valid point from the southpaw.
They must be focusing on ODIS this year for sure: Gautam Gambhir
“This year [the core group should be focusing on] ODIs for sure. If they want to take a break, people who are playing all the three formats, they can definitely take a break from T20 cricket but surely not from ODI format,” Gambhir said.
“They have got to play together – I think the biggest mistake Indian cricket has made in the last probably two World Cups has been that they [the core players], these guys have not played enough cricket [in the lead up to the World Cups] together,”
former Indian Cricketer added.
“Tell me how many times have we got the best playing XI on the park? We haven’t. Only during the World Cup we decide to have the best playing XI… The break has to happen in the T20 format and not 50 overs,”
He concluded.
Have a look at a few Twitter reactions to Gautam Gambhir’s statement:
Venkatesh iyer
— ³ ✨ (@legspiner3) January 4, 2023
We have kl Rahul..always .go to man.
— Muthu (@muthu629) January 4, 2023
Legend vijay Shankar is there. 🤣🤣
— Santosh (@Santoshkg0810) January 4, 2023
Raj Bawa can be good for future
— Mintoo (@MintuSi18463487) January 4, 2023
Bilkul shi gambhir sir
👍🔥— kaushal ro25💪❤️ (@Kaushal89446431) January 4, 2023
Shivam Dube h na
— ꪜᛕ (@Virat_spare) January 4, 2023