'Shouldn't give him that much priority': Former pacer blasts Hardik Pandya's 'VIP' treatment by BCCI
Hardik Pandya has been seemingly left alone in the MI camp
Former India bowler and commentator Irfan Pathanhas taken a dig at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for giving special treatment to Hardik Pandya as they preparefor the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies andthe USA. Despite Pandya struggling to put together a neat performance as the captain of Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) he is still expectedto board the flight for the T20 World Cup. According to Pathan, he shouldbe treatedas every other player in the Indian squad by the BCCI.
Irfan takes dig atBCCI
"What I feel about Hardik Pandya is that Indian cricket needs tomake it clearthat they should not give himthatmuch priority as they have given him so far because we stillhaven'twon the World Cup.And if you think you are a primary all-rounder, you need to make that kind of an impact at the international level. As far as the all-rounder isconcernedhehasn'tmade that impact at the international level, weare only thinking about the potential,”Irfan said while speaking on Star Sports.
Hardik is one of the first names to be heading to the USA with the Indian team during the T20 World Cupwhichstarts on June 1. However, considering his poor form as captainHardik would beunder pressure,buthe is not feeling the heat.
Is Hardik getting VIP treatment despite missing Tests?
ConsideringBCCI’spolicy to ask players to play domestic cricket on mandate, Hardik has frequently skipped first-class cricket and avoided playing inTestformat. Despite this, he has not been penalised by BCCI. Hardik last played for India in Test format in September2018while his last Ranji Trophy match came in December 2018 when he represented Baroda against Mumbai.
With players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer getting omitted from the central contract by BCCI, Hardik still retained his place.
