The Mumbai Indians have dearly missed Hardik Pandya ower down the order but the bowling coach Shane Bond has asserted that the all-rounder will not be rushed back in the second phase of the Indian Premier League.
He outlined that the franchise understands the need of Hardik both for their chances in the ongoing edition of the IPL and Team India’s chances in the T20 World Cup that will follow the IPL.
However, in a positive sign, Bond said that Hardik is doing “pretty well” in training and is “close to playing”. He said that he can well be back in the Mumbai Indians team for the next game.
"Hardik's training well. He's trained today. He's been close to playing. We're obviously balancing the needs of our team and the needs of team India as well. It's the one thing that this franchise does really well is look after its players with an eye not only to win this competition but an eye to the World Cup that's coming up as well. Hopefully, Hardik can be back for the next match and as I said he's trained today and he's going pretty well," Bond said in the post-match press conference after the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The defending champions Mumbai Indians have lost both their games in the second phase of the tournament and are now languishing in the lower half of the points table with just four wins out of nine played this season.