[Watch] Hardik Pandya sweats it out after skipping ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy

Ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya was recently spotted sweating it out in a bid to regain full fitness. The cricketer from Baroda skipped the Vijay Hazare Trophy (domestic 50-over competition) to work on his lower back, which has been troubling him since mid-2019.

The all-rounder is currently undergoing an extensive rehabilitation program in Mumbai. Hardik recently shared a couple of clips on his Instagram stories where he is seen going through rigorous training.

Watch the clip here.

The 28-year-old cricketer underwent surgery in October 2019 and since then has been managing his workload. Hardik Pandya has hardly picked up the ball ever since and his form with the bat has also not been anything to write home about.

Hardik has managed to score only 119 runs from six ODI matches in 2021 at an average of 23.80. In the 11 T20Is he has played this year, the all-rounder accumulated 165 runs at an average of 27.50

Speaking of his bowling, Hardik has bowled only 23 overs in T20Is and has bowled exactly the same number of overs in the ODIs. He has looked completely out of rhythm and his performances have earned a lot of criticism in recent times.

Incidentally, Hardik was also released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2022 auction. The five-time IPL champions retained skipper Rohit Sharma, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Kieron Pollard and batsman Suryakumar Yadav.

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“They say all good things must end” - Hardik Pandya after being released by Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya arrived on the scene with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015 and has been with them ever since. He expressed his gratitude to the franchise after he was released. Taking to Instagram, Hardik wrote:

“I’ll carry these memories with me for the rest of my life, I’ll carry these moments with me for the rest of my life. The friendships I’ve made, the bonds that have been formed, the people, the fans, I’ll always be grateful. I’ve grown not just as a player but as a person. I came here as a youngster with big dreams - we won together, we lost together, we fought together. Every moment with this team has a special place in my heart. They say all good things must end but @mumbaiindians will remain in my heart forever.”

Hardik Pandya has so far featured in 92 IPL games, scoring 1476 runs at a strike rate of 153.91. With the ball, he has claimed 42 wickets at an economy rate of 9.06.