Hardik Pandya, who missed Mumbai Indians’ (MI) previous match, away against Delhi Capitals (DC), returned to the nets in Guwahati on Sunday night ahead of the game against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday.
Suryakumar Yadav led MI in the game against DC and confirmed at the toss that Hardik was “unwell”. MI had been forced to make a couple of changes to cover for Hardik’s absence, with Deepak Chahar and Corbin Bosch coming in, and Trent Boult making way for Bosch to keep the overseas players to four.
Hardik looked in fine spirits in the training session, though, and could be in line for a return to the field.
After warming up, Hardik began with a bowl, having a go in an empty net and spearing his yorkers in at good pace, telling Nitin Patel, the team’s physiotherapist, that he had taken to practicing his yorkers at training since the T20 World Cup earlier this year: “If yorkers you can land means the other balls are much more easier”.
With batting coach Kieron Pollard keeping a close eye on him, Hardik then had a hit in the nets. The ball found the middle of the bat more often than not, and the bat made a pleasing sound as the ball pinged off it, inviting encouraging nods from Pollard.
Hardik bowled his three overs for 1 for 39 and then scored an unbeaten 11-ball 18 in MI’s season-opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, which they won by six wickets before losing the second game to DC.
