[Watch] Hardik Pandya sweats it out in the training ground

Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya was recently spotted running at a training ground as he continues to recover from the injury.

The Baroda all-rounder has been struggling with a lower-back issue that has kept him out of action for a couple of months. Hardik, who underwent surgery, has not been bowled full-fledged since his operation. There has been a dip in confidence levels which has also impacted his batting.

In a bid to regain full fitness, Hardik was seen sweating it out on the training ground.

The 28-year-old cricketer was last seen in action during the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE. Since then, he has been working on his fitness to comeback on a blazing note.

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"I want to play as an all-rounder" - Hardik Pandya

Hardik, who was recently appointed as the captain of the Ahmedabad IPL team, has asserted that he is training to return as an all-rounder. The comments come after head coach Rahul Dravid lamented the absence of a proper all-rounder in the series against South Africa.

Dravid cited the lack of a proper all-rounder as a reason for the team’s whitewash in the ODI series against South Africa.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsports’ YouTube channel, Pandya said:

“That’s my plan. I want to play as an all-rounder. My preparation is all about playing as an all-rounder. If something goes bad, then I don’t know. But my preparation, my hard work is all about playing as an all-rounder.”

Meanwhile, Hardik has been left out of the limited-overs series against West Indies which includes three ODIs followed by the same number of T20Is.

The ODIs will take place in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11, followed by the T20Is on February 16, 18 and 20 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.