Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has raised concerns over Hardik Pandya’s hitting ability after another failure with the bat in Monday’s match against Rajasthan Royals. Coming in at No. 7 in Jaipur, Pandya struggled to make an impact, scoring only 10 runs off 10 balls and leaving his team with a total of 179 runs in their 20 overs.
Taking to social media, Pathan expressed that Pandya’s hitting seems to have declined, which is a worrying sign considering the upcoming T20 World Cup. He noted that while Pandya performs well at the Wankhede Stadium, he struggles on pitches that provide some assistance to the bowlers.
Pandya’s performance in IPL 2024 has been underwhelming, with only 151 runs scored in 8 matches. His current strike rate of 142.45 and average of 21.57 are significantly lower than last season’s 346 runs at an average of 31.45.
Statistically, Pandya’s decline is evident in his reduced strike rate and six-hitting ability. In his most successful IPL season (2019), he hit 28 boundaries and 29 sixes, compared to just 12 boundaries and 7 sixes in the current season.
