The Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been experiencing a recent slump in performance. Pandya had been in great form with both the bat and the ball ever since his return from injury in April 2022. In the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023, he went through a bad spell and was unable to significantly contribute to Gujarat Titans’ run to the final, which ended his successful streak.
Additionally, in the current ODI series between India and the West Indies, the 29-year-old has not been able to play to the best of his skills. The visitors are hoping that Pandya can learn from his poor performance and have a better series-deciding performance on Tuesday, August 1. Pandya only scored 12 runs and took one wicket.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra
Also spoke up in response to the 29-year-old’s subpar performances. In addition to discussing the similarities between Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik, Chopra claimed that Pandya’s recent performance has gone unnoticed.
“The recent bad form of Hardik Pandya has gone unnoticed. His IPL wasn’t all that amazing. His batting position is unclear in my opinion. At this point, Shardul had a significant lead over Umran Malik. Umran, though, does not have a chance either, to be fair. Only a few overs have been provided to him, according to Aakash Chopra in a video on his YouTube page.
Umran Malik, a young bowler who had a dismal IPL 2023 season and hasn’t given much of a performance in the matches against the West Indies, could be even another concern for team India. Given that Malik is in the starting lineup but has yet to take a wicket, it would be intriguing to see how he performs in the final ODI.
The first ODI was won by India, and the second by the Windies, tying the series at one game each. Fans will be anxiously awaiting the outcome of the white-ball series as the third and final ODI is set for Tuesday, August 1.