Former cricketer and current commentator Irfan Pathan has raised concerns about the BCCI’s treatment of Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in the national team, suggesting that the board should refrain from overly glorifying the Indian all-rounder.
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Pathan stressed the importance of reevaluating this perspective, proposing that Pandya should not receive special treatment until he consistently performs well at the international level, especially in significant events like the World Cup. Despite high expectations upon his return to the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, Pandya has struggled, with the team winning only three out of eight matches under his captaincy.
Irfan Pathan On Hardik Pandya
“What I feel about Hardik Pandya is that Indian cricket needs to make it clear that they should not give him that much priority as they have given him so far because we still haven’t won the World Cup. And if you think you are a primary all-rounder, you need to make that kind of an impact at the international level. As far as the all-rounder is concerned he hasn’t made that impact at the international level, we are only thinking about the potential,” said Irfan Pathan.
His individual performance has also been underwhelming, particularly in batting, where he has scored just 151 runs in eight innings. Furthermore, his bowling has been ineffective, managing only four wickets with an alarming economy rate of 10.94, despite being entrusted with opening the bowling in six matches.
“We are getting confused between the IPL performances and the international performances. That’s a big difference. First of all he needs to play throughout the full year. He cannot pick and choose. Indian cricket needs to stop doing that. Stop giving preferences to individuals, if you do that, you will not be winning major tournaments. What Australia has been doing for many years is that they are actually preferring the team game. Making everyone a superstar. Not one superstar, everybody is a superstar in the squad. If you don’t do that, you will not win big tournaments,” Pathan added.
Pathan underscored the contrast between Pandya’s performances in the IPL and on the international stage, advocating for a team-oriented approach in Indian cricket. He suggested that India should focus on building a cohesive unit rather than relying heavily on individual stars, drawing parallels with Australia’s team-centric philosophy. Pathan warned against favoritism towards certain players, cautioning that such a strategy could impede India’s chances of success in major tournaments.
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