Hardik said bye-bye to Mumbai, Pandya was struggling with many problems.
Last Updated:
Hardik Pandya left Mumbai: Hardik has decided to stay in Bengaluru to make BCCI’s Center of Excellence his permanent training center for the rest of his career and has become the first Indian cricketer to do so.
Hardik Pandya leaves Mumbai, will build his new house in Bangalore, will work on fitness
New Delhi. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is facing many problems these days, has surprised everyone by deciding to leave Mumbai. Hardik has decided to stay in Bengaluru to make the BCCI Center of Excellence his permanent training center for the rest of his career, becoming the first Indian cricketer to do so.
This step of Pandya is special because usually India’s centrally contracted players go to COE only to recover from injury, for fitness test or for national camp. Pandya is originally from Baroda, Gujarat but has spent most of the last decade in Mumbai and trained at his IPL team Mumbai Indians’ facility. Currently, Pandya is recovering from a thigh injury and was ruled out of the limited overs tour of Britain. He has spent a lot of time in the CoE in the last six months.
Hardik preparing to settle in Bengaluru
A BCCI source said that Hardik has already shifted permanently to Bengaluru and has rented a property near the COE. He will be the first Indian cricketer to make COE his permanent training center for the rest of his career. The source said that Hardik wanted to move out of Mumbai as it had become difficult to travel to and from his home for daily training.
Cricket of Excellence became a big reason
As a centrally contracted cricketer, he will get all the facilities from injury treatment to skill training in the COE. Therefore, whenever he is not with the IPL, state or national team, he has decided to make COE his permanent base. It is believed that Hardik will also have his own physiotherapist and personal coach who will help him in training outside the COE.
Plan for next 4-5 years
The source said that as long as he plays limited overs cricket for India, it is like settling in Bengaluru and he intends to play for the next five-six years. Even when he works on his skills, like batting against the COE net bowlers, Hardik gives him money from his own pocket. It is believed that Pandya’s recovery process from his injury is ongoing. He has taken a few days leave for personal work and is expected to return to COE in a day or two. However, it is not clear whether after being declared fit he will be selected for the T20 series against Zimbabwe or not.
About the Author
I, Rajeev Mishra, am currently working as Associate Sports Editor at Network 18. In this role, I am responsible for digital sports content planning, editorial strategy and anchoring. Sports magazine…read more
