Players like Hardik Pandya can’t be judged on their IPL form, admits Harbhajan Singh

India’s home ODI series against South Africa was scheduled to be Hardik Pandya’s comeback into the national team following his injury-prone period. With the series postponed to a later date, there was only IPL for him to prove his fitness before the tournament in Australia. 

However, given that the tournament has been postponed indefinitely, Harbhajan feels that Pandya would be picked as the first name because of the team’s combination. He added that players of his talent-level cannot be judged just purely based on the IPL form. 

“You need these kinds of players. So some players cannot be judged on IPL form. It is for them who are not proven players,” Harbhajan told IANS, reported Hindustan Times. 

After Pandya proved his fitness in the DY Patil T20 Cup, he was picked in the Indian squad for the South African ODI series. In his absence, the Indian team tried out a host of players, including young all-rounder Shivam Dube. While Dube made his mark in the series against Bangladesh, his bowling and batting were soon exposed by the New Zealand team. 

“Hardik Pandya has not played after the World Cup. But I can give you in writing that if he is fit and irrespective of whether the IPL takes place or not, when the team will be made he will be in the team because if the team needs to maintain combination, he has to be in the team,” he added.