It seems as if Hardik Pandya is carrying a giant magnet that is attracting all of the world’s bad luck to himself. The Indian all-rounder had a lot of trouble regarding both off-the-field and on-field incidents last year. He was suspended by the BCCI for sexist remarks in a chat show. After his return, he sustained a back injury and had to be operated, keeping him out of the action for a long time.
Things were just looking brighter for him, as just after he tied the knot, he was selected in India A squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. But as luck would have it, he has been dropped from the team after failing mandatory fitness tests. The BCCI is very strict about fitness nowadays, and irrespective of who the player is, everyone needs to pass some mandatory tests to wear the blue.
Pandya has just got back to his normal training and was called up for the fitness tests in Mumbai. However, the all-rounder’s fitness level is way below the lowest limit needed to make it to the national squad. In his absence, Vijay Shankar has got the ticket to fly to New Zealand. India A will play two warm-up ODIs, as many four-day Tests, and three List A games against the A team of the Kiwis.
“Vijay Shankar was picked for the tour on Friday evening. He reached New Delhi in the early hours on Saturday and left with the team. Shankar is a perfect fit for the conditions that the team will face in New Zealand. He had given a good account himself when he toured New Zealand last year with the Indian team,” said a source, as per quotes in Cricbuzz.
India’s fixtures against the Blackcaps
The Indian team is scheduled to play five T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches in New Zealand. The series will start off with the shortest format of the game, and the first match will be played at Eden Park in Auckland. The T20I series will be followed by one-dayers, and the series will end with the Tests.
