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‘You Don’t Play For The Country’, Former Pacer Slams Hardik Pandya For Prioritizing Franchise Cricket

Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar criticizes Hardik Pandya for prioritizing IPL over national and domestic commitments due to conveniently timed injuries. Pandya returns to Mumbai Indians as captain, replacing Rohit Sharma.

Praveen Kumar, the former Indian fast bowler, has criticized Hardik Pandya ahead of the IPL 2024 season, accusing him of prioritizing franchise cricket over domestic and international commitments. Kumar highlighted Pandya’s tendency to sustain injuries conveniently two months before the IPL begins.

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Kumar further targeted the new Mumbai Indians skipper, suggesting that Pandya’s injuries conveniently enable him to skip domestic and international matches. However, he miraculously becomes fit just in time for the IPL, implying that Pandya’s focus seems to be on playing for lucrative contracts rather than representing his country.

“You get injured two months before the IPL, you don’t play for the country, you don’t play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That’s not how things should be done. It’s okay to earn money, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL)”, Praveen said.

Also Read: Selectors Could Omit Virat Kohli From T20 World Cup 2024 Squad: Reports

Hardik Pandya had been absent from action midway through the ODI World Cup due to an ankle injury sustained during the match against Bangladesh. However, he has recently rejoined the Mumbai Indians training camp in preparation for the upcoming IPL.

In a surprising turn of events, Pandya has returned to the Mumbai Indians just two years after his stint with the Gujarat Titans. His comeback to the Blue Army has seen him assume the captaincy role, displacing Rohit Sharma from the position. This unexpected move has caused quite a stir among fans and cricket enthusiasts alike.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: Rishabh Pant Gets Ultimatum From BCCI Secretary Jay Shah

First published on: Mar 12, 2024 08:47 PM IST


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