(UTV | INDIA) – The star-all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been called for the camp underway at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore from March 5.
Hardik Pandya, out of action since the T20 World Cup last October, has not been given up on by the Indian team think tank and the star-all-rounder has been called for the camp underway at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore from March 5.
The 28-year-old Baroda cricketer, named skipper by the new Gujarat Titans franchise recently, has sought time to join the camp. He is expected to be part of it in a couple of days. His brother Krunal Pandya, also an all-rounder, however, has not been asked to report.
It was reported about the Bangalore gathering recently and it has since emerged that the camp has, in fact, been called keeping the October T20 World Cup in mind, with Indian coach Rahul Dravid and selectors driving the process. The player assembly, for about 25 of them, apparently, has only been for the white-ball specialists.
“Although the World Cup is more than six months away, planning can start now. The coaches and selectors want to assess the fitness of the players and take stock of things for the big event,” said a source in the know of developments.
Pandya’s presence, in that context, is seen as an indicator that he is in the scheme of the Indian team management and could be in contention for a berth in the World Cup squad. So, it is clear that he is likely to be tried out in the home T20 series against South Africa in June, if the injury-prone player survives the wear and tear of the IPL.
Pandya last played for India on November 8, against Namibia, amid question marks over his fitness and inability to do all-round duties, bowling in particular. Pandya did bowl a few overs in the World Cup, although not with usual flourish and effectiveness. Multiple sources within the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed that the all-rounder will attend the camp. Pandya did not respond to a text message.
Meanwhile, the 10-day camp has led to a sort of polarization among the various stakeholders of Indian cricket with some Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises expressing reservation over it before BCCI/IPL officials. Their grievance is, mainly, for lack of access to the players ahead of the season.
Franchise and BCCI sources have confirmed that, over discussion about the camp with the former claiming that they are being denied their contractual right to have access to the players two weeks prior to the start of the league. This confirms that the franchises have taken up the matter with IPL chairman Brijesh Patel and CEO Hemang Amin.
With IPL set to start on March 26, the franchises would have preferred to have the players by March 12 so that they can engage them in promotional, team building, team bonding and strategic pre-tournament activities. In that context, they have also pointed out to the BCCI/IPL that after the camp ends on March 15, the players have to undergo three-day quarantine and can join the teams only around March 18, just about a week before the start of the league.
Finally, the parties seem to have reached some kind of consensus that the last five days of the camp will be in a controlled bio-secure bubble environment so that the players can be transported to their respective IPL teams through a bubble-to-bubble transfer. Messages to Dravid, BCCI office-bearers and selection committee chairman Chetan Sharma did not elicit immediate replies.