'He's injured, but not admitting it': Simon Doull questions Hardik Pandya's fitness; MI captain reacts
'He's injured, but not admitting it': Simon Doull questions Hardik Pandya's fitness; MI captain reactsInstagram

MI's new captain Hardik Pandya is facing massive criticism from fans on the ground as well as netizens.

Hardik, who was captaining for GT, won during the first season when GT debuted as a franchise and then lost to CSK during IPL 2023. Everything was fine when Rohit Sharma, who is also the captain of team India, was seen captaining for MI's captain over years until Hardik Pandya took over, from boos to insult, Hardik is taking it all in his stride. After losing three matches, MI won the last two matches.

Hardik is now facing criticism for his limited bowling in IPL 2024.

Hardik avoids bowling; here's why

It so happened that during a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where Mumbai Indians (MI) utilized seven bowlers, Pandya, the MI captain, only bowled one over and gave away 13 runs.

In Mumbai's match against Delhi Capitals (DC), Hardik used six bowlers but chose not to bowl himself. He did not bowl in the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR). This has drawn attention because, in Mumbai's first match of the tournament, Hardik bowled the opening over of the innings.

Former New Zealand cricketer and commentator Simon Doull has raised doubts about Hardik Pandya's bowling ability.

Hardik Pandya's fitness has also been questioned.

Doull expressed his reservations during a recent segment on Cricbuzz. He said, "You go out and make a statement by opening the bowling in-game no. 1, and suddenly, you are not required.

The ace commentator added, "He's injured. I'm telling you there is something wrong with him. He is not admitting it. But there is something wrong with him for sure. That is my gut feeling."

Pandya defended his limited bowling appearances in the tournament.

Hardik said, "All good, will be bowling at the right time. Had it covered, so didn't need to roll my arm over."

Hardik and his injuries over the past

Hardik sustained an ankle injury during the ODI World Cup in 2023, which led him to drop from the ongoing matched at that time. He was resting until March 2024. He made his comeback by playing in the DY Patil T20 tournament, followed by IPL matches.

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