‘Puts his body through a lot every single ball. Not nice’: Allan Donald expresses worry for this India Star

Former South Africa bowler Allan Donald expresses worry about this India Star

Just like India hasn’t won an ICC championship in the previous ten years, there is a great deal of mystery around Hardik Pandya’s injury and how long it took for him to heal. Nearly three months have passed since Hardik twisted his ankle during the World Cup match against Bangladesh, yet each time it seems like he may be on the verge of recovering, something else goes wrong. Originally scheduled to play against Sri Lanka in the first week of November, Hardik’s injury appears to have been so severe that it prevented him from participating in the tournament, missing the Australia and South Africa series, and preventing him from being fully fit for the Afghanistan T20Is.

This is most likely Hardik’s second major injury of his career. Of course, his already ailing back was the worst; he needed surgery in September 2020 to treat it. Even though he missed out on a lot of cricket for nearly a year, Hardik came back with more vigour and a refreshed back. With Hardik bowling at full throttle, India now has a potent sixth bowling option.

But Allan Donald, a former South Africa bowler, is concerned about Hardik despite his encouraging comeback from a back ailment. Despite his extensive training, the ‘White Lightening’ believes that Hardik’s bowling motion does not provide the most comfortable load and release, highlighting the difficulties of a fast bowler making a comeback following a back injury.

“It’s a big thing… because when we do screening from a young age, we do lots of video analysis on young kids when they come through the system, to make sure that biomechanically, they are absolutely fine, and they’re not going to get hurt or injured seriously. So, doing the correct screening from a young age is incredibly important,” Donald told Sportstar.

“Look, I think Hardik puts his body through a lot every single delivery. I mean, it’s not a nice thing and also one needs to look at how strong these guys are these days. Hardik has spent a lot of time away from the game, building his body back up. And strength and conditioning is a major, major factor these days.”