“Sure, I will be bowling,” Hardik mentioned at a pre-season press convention in Mumbai on Monday. “My damage in [the] World Cup was a freak damage. It had nothing to do with my previous accidents, it had nothing to do with my health. Once I acquired fit, the Afghanistan [T20I] sequence had simply began [in January]. I’ve been fit since then, however there have been no video games to play.”
Hardik had injured his ankle in his observe-via whereas bowling throughout India’s World Cup league match towards Bangladesh in Pune. He mentioned that his makes an attempt to recuperate in time for the knockout phases had aggravated the damage.
“My damage, from day one, confirmed that I will be out of the World Cup, however taking part in for India has at all times been particular, particularly in a World Cup. [So] we pushed [for] ten days – we knew that it is an uphill process to be fit for the World Cup semi-finals or finals,” he mentioned. “Once we pushed, I type of triggered my damage [further], and the damage grew to become slightly longer.”
Hardik: ‘I do know that Rohit will at all times have a hand on my shoulder’
“I do not assume it will be awkward, or something completely different, it will be a pleasant feeling as a result of we have been taking part in [together] for ten years,” Hardik mentioned of his relationship with Rohit and the brand new workforce dynamic. “I’ve performed my complete profession underneath him, and I do know he’s going to have a hand on my shoulder at all times.
“He is been touring, he’s been taking part in. It is been a few months since we have seen one another. As soon as he comes [and joins the MI camp], we’ll undoubtedly have a chat.”
Rohit has had a tricky time with the bat in current IPL seasons, averaging 24.89 and going at a strike fee of 127.54 in 70 innings throughout the final 5 years. “If he has an amazing season for us, we’ll be in the dying phases of the match,” Boucher mentioned.
IPL 2023 was Boucher’s first season as head coach after changing Mahela Jayawardene, and Mumbai completed fourth in the league stage earlier than crashing out in Qualifier 2 – to Hardik’s Gujarat Titans.
Will MI begin with 4 abroad gamers?
Mumbai went all out for abroad quicks to companion the returning Jasprit Bumrah this season, spending INR 14.40 crore (out of a remaining purse of INR 17.75 crore) on South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee and Sri Lanka’s Dilshan Madushanka and Nuwan Thushara. Additionally they purchased Afghanistan allrounder Mohammad Nabi in addition to the pre-public sale commerce of West Indian Romario Shepherd.
“If in case you have a take a look at all of the [overseas] gamers we now have chosen, we have loads of choices,” Boucher mentioned. “I feel this season we are able to select situations-associated, we’ll take a look and see which gamers finest swimsuit completely different situations.”
Boucher did trace at Mumbai probably beginning with three abroad gamers – one thing they did in three video games final season – given the wealth of Indian batting choices accessible for the primary XI.
“There would possibly even be conditions the place we solely go in with three abroad gamers, with out giving an excessive amount of away, and perhaps have one or two choices as influence gamers on the bench, and take a look on the situations and see what’s finest going to swimsuit us.”
Yash Jha is a multi-platform content material producer and presenter for ESPNcricinfo
