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Hardik Pandya has decided not to rush his return to international cricket. Hardik Pandya has decided not to play in the upcoming ODI series in England, as India’s star all-rounder will now spend more time at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence and work on both his fitness and skills.
BCCI has recently introduced a new program called “Performance Block” for centrally contracted players. Earlier, BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru was mainly used for injury rehabilitation, but now international cricketers can come at any time of the year to work on specific areas of their game with the help of dedicated trainers and support staff.
Hardik Pandya has joined BCCI’s new performance block.
According to a Times of India report, Hardik Pandya has become one of the biggest names to join BCCI’s new program for players. The all-rounder was reportedly bowling full 10-over spells at the Center of Excellence earlier this month before suffering a quadriceps injury on June 9. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya forces CSK to address IPL trade speculations.
There were fears that the injury would keep him out for about three weeks and the selectors ultimately rejected Pandya for the England tour. However, Pandya himself approached BCCI to attend the event as he would not be able to make a comeback into the Indian team without full fitness.
Times of India quoted a BCCI source as saying, ‘It is very clear in Hardik’s mind that he will not take the field for India unless he is at the top of his game both physically and cricketingly. He doesn’t want to put pressure on himself and put his body at risk with the ODI World Cup 16 months away. He contacted the CoE and joined the demonstration block. Apart from achieving peak fitness, he also wants to work on specific cricket skills.
BCCI launches “performance block” for centrally contracted players
The new program is different from the old system. Earlier, injured players were declared fit mainly after medical assessment and a few match-simulation sessions. Now, players will also have to prove that they can perform their cricket skills at the required level before being approved.
The source further added, “The COE was largely a rehabilitation center for international cricketers. Cricket programs were limited to age-group and regional camps. Now, Indian players can come at any time and have very special sessions to work on small things in their game. There will be a dedicated coaching staff to work with the players. Also, under this programme, an injured player can be considered fit to play for India only if he is playing to his potential.”
Hardik Pandya’s comeback is not easy
Under the new performance block programme, injured fast bowlers will not be judged on the basis of fitness alone. His workload will be increased gradually and the coach will closely monitor whether he can maintain the quality of his bowling under pressure.
If a bowler struggles to perform consistently then he will not be able to make a comeback at that time. At present, Hardik is focusing on both his batting and bowling as per the demands of 50 over cricket. “Hardik hasn’t played a lot of 50-over cricket in the last two years. He needs to get some aspects right before getting back into that format,” he said.
