“Sends wrong message”: Irfan Pathan calls out BCCI’s bias towards Hardik Pandya. cricket news

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya remains at the center of constant criticism. After much debate over his place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee gave him a role in the 15-man squad for the showpiece event despite his poor form in the IPL. 2024. In fact, Hardik was also made the vice-captain of the team, a decision that former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan did not like. In a fresh attack on Hardik, Irfan questioned BCCI over the exceptions made by the board for the Mumbai Indians captain.

Irfan also pointed to the Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan scenario where both of them were dropped from the Indian team unless they proved themselves in domestic cricket. However, no such solution was chosen for Hardik, who remained away from domestic cricket before returning to the Indian team.

“Earlier, Hardik Pandya held the captaincy, but Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy for the T20 matches. After the T20 World Cup, there was a new plan; they aimed for a young team with Pandya and Surya as potential captains. Nevertheless, questions arise about Pandya’s performance, consistency and commitment towards Indian cricket.

“Regular participation in domestic cricket is essential to serve Indian cricket throughout the year. Injuries are inevitable, but proper planning of playing consistent matches, including domestic cricket, is crucial for a player’s comeback. But then there is also a player who is without injury. Let’s make a comeback to meet the same requirements,” Pathan told Star Sports.

“This should not happen because it sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. When they see that one player is getting special treatment, it spoils the team atmosphere. Cricket is not like tennis; it is a team sport. Where equality is important.” Every player should be treated fairly and equally. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced player like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, cricket is first and foremost a team sport, I have seen such things in the past. Last year’s World Cup was against the principles of Indian cricket, where some players got unfair advantage. was given, which is unacceptable,” said the former Indian all-rounder, who has been working as a commentator in the IPL.

Irfan also questioned the BCCI’s decision to hand over the vice-captaincy of the team to Hardik and suggested that Jasprit Bumrah would have been a better choice for the role.

“To be successful in a tournament like the World Cup, it is important that every player is treated fairly and equally. So, now, coming back to your question about Hardik Pandya being the vice-captain, I want consistency. “I understand the logic behind it because of the importance. However, considering the current performance, it makes sense for the selectors to go for continuity, still I believe someone like Bumrah would not be a bad option,” Pathan said. concluded.