Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has voiced strong opinions about Hardik Pandya's role and performance in the national team, particularly criticizing the all-rounder's inconsistency at international events. With the T20 World Cup around the corner, Pandya's current form in the IPL has triggered debate regarding his place in the squad.
Speaking on Star Sports Press Room Show, "Ticket to World Cup," Pathan expressed concerns over the Indian cricket establishment's high prioritization of 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," Pathan remarked. He emphasized that an all-rounder of Pandya's stature needs to deliver significant performances on the international stage, something he believes Pandya has yet to achieve.
Pathan pointed out a distinct disparity between Pandya’s IPL performances and his contributions in international cricket. He stressed the importance of consistency and commitment to playing throughout the year rather than selectively participating in certain tournaments. "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 year. He cannot pick and choose," Pathan noted.
Further criticizing the approach to team selection and performance, Pathan drew comparisons with Australian cricket, which he views as more team-oriented rather than focused on individual stardom. "Indian cricket needs to stop doing that. Stop giving preferences to individuals, if you do that, you will not be winning major tournaments," he advised.
Pathan also highlighted concerns regarding the Indian team's finishers and pace attack. He pointed out the deficiencies in having Ravindra Jadeja as a primary finisher due to his unsatisfactory strike rate at the international level. Additionally, the performance of the pace bowlers in recent series and the IPL has left much to be desired, according to Pathan. "Apart from Bumrah, if I look at the guys playing in IPL, played before the IPL in the South Africa series, their numbers are not that great -- be that it's Arshdeep, be that it's Mohammed Siraj, you know, the guys who played last."
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(With PTI inputs)