Team India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is working on two big goals simultaneously these days. The first goal is to make Mumbai Indians the IPL champion once again. Five-time champion Mumbai has not even entered the finals since 2020 and the last two seasons have not been successful even under the captaincy of Hardik. The second target is World Cup 2027, for which he is preparing himself. The entire focus of his preparation is bowling, which Team India will need a lot.
Hardik is making big preparations
According to a report, this will happen after about one and a half years. one day world cup Hardik is already busy preparing himself for this. Times of India report quoting BCCI sources has revealed that Hardik Pandya is gradually working on increasing his bowling load. He is busy molding his body to bowl 10 overs regularly in an ODI match. BCCI and Team India have been cautious about the bowling load of Hardik, who is suffering from many other fitness problems including back injury.
Team India will need Hardik’s fast bowling in this World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In such a situation, if he is limited to bowling only 4-5 overs, then it can become a problem for Team India. The report quoted a BCCI source as saying that Team India is expecting Hardik to be available to bowl 10 overs continuously, even if he is not made to bowl that many in every match. Hardik is also aware of this and hence he is continuously preparing himself for it.
Has shown glimpse in domestic cricket
Just a few months before the Team20 World Cup 2026, Hardik was forbidden by BCCI from bowling too much, so that he does not get injured before the tournament. However, the star all-rounder then bowled 10 overs for Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is clear from this that Hardik also wants to prove himself fit for the World Cup next year. The BCCI source itself revealed that Hardik is gradually increasing his bowling workload and he is realizing that his body is ready for it.
Let us remind you that Hardik was a part of Team India in the World Cup 2023 also. However, he could play only 3 matches and got injured in the fourth match. Then he suffered an ankle injury while bowling in the match against Bangladesh and was out of the tournament. Hardik is constantly pushing to ensure that such a situation does not arise in South Africa.