Hardik Pandya has taken an important decision amid all the heat catching up around the Team India all-rounder. The 30-year-old, who last featured for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup, has been suffering from an ankle injury.
Having him sidelined until last week, the ankle injury has led Pandya to miss the bilateral series against Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, and England, across all formats.
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Pandya missing out on action, did not intervene in BCCI's decision to hand him a central contract. he was handed a "Grade A" contract and is expected to earn INR 5 crore for the 2024-25 season while being on national team duty.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who were first-team regulars with India for most parts of 2023, missed out on the central contracts. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a separate statement in lieu of the duo, who were not considered for recommendations.
The fans, critics and former players have given their bit of stick to Hardik Pandya.
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Why is Hardik Pandya given a BCCI Central contract?
According to Indian Express, Hardik Pandya has reportedly assured the BCCI that he will take part in domestic tournaments if they do not overlap with international commitment.
The team India vice-captain, who last featured in November 2023, is not in a position to play red-ball cricket, just yet. Thus, the importance of Ranji Trophy, does not hold substance in the case of Hardik Pandya.
He, though, is likely to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda.
A BCCI source told the Indian Express,
We have had discussions with Pandya, who has been told to play domestic white-ball tournaments when he is available. At this stage, according to the assessment of the BCCI’s medical team, he is not in a position to bowl in red-ball tournaments. So playing Ranji Trophy is out of the equation for Pandya. But he has to play other white-ball tournaments if there are no India commitments. If not, he will miss out on a contract.
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When will Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy be held?
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is India's domestic T20 league, with Vijay Hazare covering the 50-over format. Both tournaments will be held within the span of October-December (2024).
At the time, the Indian team are expected to have no white-ball schedules. Considering Pandya's fitness levels are good enough, he would have to feature in both tournaments, representing Baroda.
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What next for Hardik Pandya?
After earning his BCCI Central Contract, Hardik Pandya would straight-up feature for the Mumbai Indians. A franchise that has his homecoming announced, would have Pandya as its captain, on his return.
Mumbai Indians will play Gujarat Titans in their tournament opener. The game is scheduled at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24, 2024. The proceedings will kickstart at 19:30 IST.
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