Virat Kohli's childhood coach slams Hardik Pandya for making 'immature' statement

(Source: Twitter)

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya made headlines when he made a big statement, a few days ago. 

In a chat with Backstage with Boria, he said that was made to bowl in the T20 World Cup 2021 despite the fact that he was not 100 percent fit. He also said that he was picked in the team purely as a batter and was thrown the challenge of bowling midway through the tournament. 

He had said, "The position we were in at the World Cup, I felt everything was thrown at me. I was selected in the squad as a batter. I worked hard to bowl in the 1st game, but I couldn’t. I did bowl in the 2nd one even when I wasn't supposed to."

After his statement blew up internet and the whole cricketing world, former India captain Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has reacted to the statement, saying it was an immature statement to make. 

He said on Khelneeti's YouTube channel, "The selectors and team management favoured Hardik Pandya in the T20 World Cup 2021. Him coming out and saying what he said is not a mature statement. You should be thankful that they picked you were picked by the team management for the T20 World Cup, despite fitness concerns."

Former Indian spinner Nikhil Chopra has also slammed the Indian all-rounder. He said that there was no need on Pandya's part to make such statements. 

He said, "The selectors in their press conference should have clarified that they have picked Hardik Pandya as just a batter and will only bowl when his body allows. There is no point in making such statements now on Pandya’s part. The captain would have surely asked him before bowling him."