Hour and half later he got injured- Shoaib Akhtar recalls warning Hardik Pandya of a back injury in 2018

Pandya's back gave way during India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup 2018 in UAE.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed that he had warned India all-rounder Hardik Pandya that he might hurt his back given that he was so lean, but the Baroda cricketer shrugged it off.

Hardik Pandya’s back gave out during a 2018 Asia Cup match against Pakistan in UAE and even though he underwent back surgery in London, he hasn’t been able to bowl at full tilt since then. This has become an obstacle in his cricketing career as no longer being able to bowl even four overs in a T20 game has proven to be his downfall.

Recently, he told the BCCI selectors not to select him as he started rehabbing in Mumbai in order to get fully fit and bowl regularly. Some reports have even suggested that Hardik Pandya wanted to quit Tests in order to focus on limited-overs success.

Speaking on Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar said that he had met Pandya in UAE and warned him about his lean body type.

“I told Bumrah in Dubai, even Hardik Pandya…I still have such strong back muscles behind my shoulders, but they looked so lean. I was shocked. I warned him that you will get injured, but he told me that he has been playing a lot of cricket. Exactly an hour and a half later, he got injured," he said.

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Pandya had to be stretchered off the field as he pulled up a muscle while bowling against Pakistan in a group game. Injuries have played a key role in Pandya’s career. Apart from the back, Pandya also suffered from shoulder niggle during the IPL 2020 and 2021 and didn’t bowl a single ball during those two tournaments.

This has resulted in his franchise MI not retaining him ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.

Shoaib further explained: “Bhuvneshwar has to strengthen his glutes, hamstring, lower back and upper torso. Shami needs to a leaner upper body. For Bumrah…it is the same, fast bowlers need to build their muscles.

You go into a series with a six inch muscle and return with two inch after the series because there is loss of muscle mass. So you need to decide how much you need to run. Long runs twice is week is enough to keep yourself light on the feet. But if you know you are an explosive fast bowler then you do those specific trainings like sledge running."