Kohli's former coach says Hardik should be thankful that he was picked

Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, has called out all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his recent comments about being selected as a batter in the T20 World Cup last year. In India’s lackluster performance at the T20 showpiece event, the flamboyant Baroda cricketer managed just four overs, highlighting the need for a more diverse bowling attack.

Hardik was not selected for the subsequent series as he recovers from the injury. Recently, the 28-year-old cricketer said he was “pushed” to bowl in the T20 match despite not being able to or being advised to do so. “The selectors should have clarified in their press conference that Hardik Pandya is merely a batter and will only bowl if his body allows. Pandya has no reason to make such statements now. Before bowling him, the captain would have no doubt asked him. Nikhil Chopra, a former India cricketer, said the selectors should have clarified Hardik’s limited role in the press conference about Hardik’s fitness. Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2021 campaign saw Hardik play exclusively as a batsman.

India’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup might have prompted Hardik Pandya to think he was being targeted. When a team underperforms, a player will occasionally come under scrutiny. This time around, it could have happened to Pandya,” stated Chopra during a recent interaction.