Hardik Pandya is 100% fit, no doubt, affirms trainer
Hardik Pandya’s trainer S Rajnikanth has admitted that the all-rounder is 100% fit and there is no doubt about it despite multiple reports suggesting that Pandya failed the fitness test. Further, he said that it is too early for the 26-year-old to be exposed to workload in international matches.
Multiple news portals earlier on Saturday reported the Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of India A’s series against New Zealand A after Pandya had failed BCCI’s fitness test. However, the all-rounder’s trainer S Rajnikanth has come out and bashed the reports saying that Pandya is 100% fit but has pulled out of the series on the trainers’ advice as he does not want him to be exposed to the workload in international matches yet. Pandya, who has been out from September last year, was about to make his comeback into the national team with the 'A' tour only for this setback to postpone his return.
"He is 100% fit. There is no doubt about that. But I don't want him to take the workload of back-to-back international matches. No fitness test has been conducted for Pandya yet, so there's no question of him failing any test," said Rajnikanth, reported TOI.
Further, the trainer admitted that Pandya has to undergo more training to manage workload with his bowling and only then will be allowed by the trainer to play for the Indian team. However, he admitted that the BCCI has not asked the 26-year-old to undergo any fitness test ahead of the ‘A’ tour later this month.
"But that's not because he's not fit or has failed any test. He's fit, he can score a 20 in yoyo right now. He's doing his 20 meters too, effortlessly. Why I pulled him out is because of his bowling. That is still work in progress - the bowling workload at the international level," Rajnikanth added.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Vijay Shankar has been roped in as a replacement for the Baroda all-rounder after he pulled out from the series. The 28-year-old Shankar flew out to New Zealand in the early hours on Saturday ahead of their encounter on January 22.
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