Is Hardik Pandya The New Vinod Kambli Of Team India?

Looking at Pandya’s injury woes and recent poor performances, it’s safe to say that he could take a while to be the player he really is. To force his way back into the side could also be a long journey...

Hardik Pandya’s breaking into the white-ball squads of the Indian cricket team in 2016 was a new light in a search for a proper all-rounder. Not only Pandya could smash the ball out of the park, but his efforts with bowling and fielding meant he was here to stay for a long time. Some even likened Pandya to former Indian skipper Kapil Dev. Pandya not only flourished in Team India’s scene, but was a consistent force in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians.

That helped him as well in terms of shaping his game. Pandya found success with MI and was a consistent force. The hard-hitting all-rounder made it to India’s Test side in 2017 and earned a name for himself often coming on as the fourth pacer overseas. He was a constant feature for the side until 2018.

However of late, Pandya has been struggling with issues on and off the field. A shoulder injury saw him miss a lot of cricket for India in recent times and he has also lost his ability to bowl at the moment and there’s no clear timeline as to when he will resume his services with the ball. With him not bowling, it impacted MI in the IPL 2021 season and Team India as well in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.