Gujarat Titan (GT) captain Hardik Pandya came into the IPL 2022 with doubts over his bowling acumen, as he was coming off a long layoff from cricket to work on his fitness before the tournament. 

He came and bowled his full quota of four overs for the first 3-4 matches for GT in the IPL 15, but since then has struggled with a groin issue and has not bowled since then in the tournament. 

And now Daniel Vettori, a former Royal Challengers Bangalore and New Zealand captain, opines that Pandya may not bowl again in the tournament, as he is just too important for GT as a captain and as a batter. 

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"I don't think we will see him as a bowler again (in the IPL). I think he is just too important as a batsman and as a captain. And the concern about him missing games for the sake of one or two overs... I think they have selected a team now to not worry about his bowling," Vettori told ESPNCricinfo.

Pandya bowled 18.3 overs and got four wickets before his latest injury setback disrupted his momentum. With the bat, he made a bigger impact for Gujarat Titans, who are now in first place in the table with 12 points. Pandya has 295 runs in six games, including three half-centuries, and is in the top five in the most runs list in IPL 2022.

Ravi Shastri also shared his opinion on Hardik Pandya's fitness and said that the GT dressing room will be worried about him.

"They have relied a lot on Hardik and not for his bowling but for his batting. If you are in Gujarat Titans team dressing room, you would be little worried about that," Ravi Shastri, former India coach, told ESPNCricinfo.

(With NDTV inputs)