Hardik Pandya has been a vital player for India ever since he made his international debut in 2016. India haven’t got an all-rounder as good as him in a long time and that’s why he became hugely popular among the Indian fans within a short time.

He has come up with some spectacular all-round performances over the years but Hardik hasn’t been bowling regularly ever since his back surgery in 2019. Moreover, his batting form has undergone a major dip of late as well and that is quite concerning for India going into a major tournament like the T20 World Cup.

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has also expressed his doubts over Pandya’s place in the Indian side. He answered a query raised by a fan in a video on his YouTube Channel recently, during which he said, “When Hardik Pandya was picked in the 15 for the T20 World Cup, the selectors assumed he would be bowling. That’s why they named only three fast bowlers in the squad. Hardik was supposed to be used as the fourth bowler.”

“I am told, I don’t know for sure, that the selectors were given a guarantee Hardik would start bowling soon. But Rohit Sharma recently confirmed that he hasn’t bowled a single ball yet. So, he’s not bowling, and his batting form is absolutely absent,” Chopra added.

As Pandya isn’t bowling and he hasn’t been in good batting form either, Chopra thinks that Shardul Thakur can be a good replacement. Thakur has picked up 18 wickets in this IPL 2021 season and is Chennai Super Kings’ top wicket-taker as well. Moreover, he has been improving day by day as a batter as well.