The India National Cricket Team has been divided into two, as some players are in the T20I team representing the side in the Asian Games, and some players are with the ODI squad preparing for the West Indies series. Ahead of the first ODI game, head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up about the team’s star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who is still out due to injuries.
Hardik Pandya is still recovering from a quadriceps injury, calf strain, and associated leg niggles that kept him out of recent white-ball assignments, alongside earlier recurring back and ankle issues. He has been out of international action since the T20 World Cup 2026. Pandya has been working hard at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
While speaking on Jio Star, Gambhir said that Hardik is one exception, as not many teams have a similar player like Hardik Pandya, as he can bowl 10 overs and bat at number six and seven with the impact he has in the game.
Gambhir said (as quoted by India Today), "If you talk about Hardik, very few teams have a player like that who can bowl 10 overs for you, plus bat at number six or seven, plus with that impact. But he needs game time as well."
Gautam Gambhir wants Hardik Pandya fully fit ahead of ODI World Cup
Gambhir believes Hardik Pandya should be extremely important for the 50-over format for the World Cup and needs to play as many games as possible, as he has not featured much after the IPL. The head coach believes that ahead of the major tournament, he needs to be fully fit and cannot go there with half fitness.
"Because after the IPL, he hasn't played a lot of cricket. So if the focus is only that he has to play the 50-over format, then he might be short of cricket. Game time going into the World Cup is going to be extremely, extremely important. You cannot go there half-cooked."
"So you should have enough game time; your rhythm should be so good, because going to the World Cup, there are no ifs and buts." Thus, Hardik Pandya has been added to the India A squad for the 50-over game against Australia A starting from October 6.
"Red-ball still remains our priority": Gautam Gambhir on importance of Test Cricket
The team India head coach also emphasised the importance of Test cricket; he believes that India is a dominant force in red-ball cricket, though under him the side has struggled in the traditional format of the game. He also stated that the main focus for the Men in Blue remains Test cricket, despite good performance in the T20 format.
"When you are getting the new guys in, obviously trying to make them feel how important Test cricket is, because I'm a very big believer that a strong Test cricketing nation is a strong cricketing nation."
"It's not the other way around. I've never believed that a strong T20 cricket nation is a strong cricketing nation. So red-ball still remains our priority," said Gambhir
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