Shoaib Akhtar said that he had advised Hardik Pandya to increase his muscle mass.© Instagram
Since India’s semi-final exit in the 2019 ODI World Cup, Hardik Pandya has seen a drastic change in his international career graph due to fitness issues. The all-rounder was not at his best this year and received a lot of criticism for his role in getting India out of the T20 World Cup. Speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channelPakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar revealed that he had predicted Hardik’s fitness issues and also warned the Mumbai Indians (MI) cricketer. Akhtar pointed out that the slender physique contributed to the 28-year-old’s back problems.
Akhtar said, “I told Bumrah in Dubai and even Hardik Pandya. He was skinny like birds. He didn’t have back muscles. Even now, I have such a nice strong back behind my shoulders. There are muscles.”
“I touched his (Hardik) back, he had muscles but was very thin. So I warned him that he would get injured. But he said he is playing too much cricket,” he said.
“Exactly an hour and a half later, he was injured”, he added.
In 2018, during the Asia Cup group game against Pakistan, Hardik was stretched while bowling in the match. Since then, his career has been hit hard by back issues and it also saw him turn into a full-fledged batsman for Mumbai during IPL 2021.
Akhtar also said that he had advised Hardik to increase his muscle mass.
Hardik’s inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad this year was not well received by fans and pundits and many pointed to his fitness issues.
The Men in Blue failed to reach the knockouts after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand in the Super 12 stage. Despite not bowling in IPL 2021, he will resume bowling duties against the Blackcaps and Afghanistan during the tournament.
Topics mentioned in this article
,