IND vs PAK 2022: "I think we should put the topic of rest and my body aside" - Hardik Pandya dismisses concerns surrounding his fitness 

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has quashed aside concerns surrounding his fitness and confirmed that he will be bowling during the upcoming contest against Pakistan on Sunday, October 23.

The Baroda-born player has been named in the playing XI and will hope to make an all-round impression to get India's T20 World Cup 2022 campaign started on a high.

Hardik Pandya spent the last few years riddled with injury concerns, which began during the 2018 Asia Cup campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

After primarily playing as a pure batter for both his national team and franchise, which cost him his place in the Test squad, Pandya made a strong comeback following a few months away from cricket in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup 2021.

Stating that he is fully fit and raring to go, Pandya said in a pre-match interview at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG):

"The body is fine - I think we should put the topic of rest and my body aside. You will see me bowling. We all are aware we are playing international cricket."

Pandya has played as a fully-functioning all-rounder since his return to the national squad after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. He will act as the fourth seam bowling option for Team India at the T20 World Cup and will hope to make the most of the extra pace and bounce with his trademark back-of-the-length deliveries.

Stating that Pakistan's batters too possess a threat along with their famed bowling attack, he said:

"It's not just about Pakistan's bowlers - any team you play will have quality bowlers. (Their) batters, we've spoken how good they are. At the end of the day, the bowlers will bowl and the batters will bat. Whoever does well will win."

The Men in Green will unleash the troika of Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi for the first time. This marks Shaheen Afridi's first international match since being ruled out due to a knee injury a couple of months ago.

"It's fantastic to play in front of such a crowd and atmosphere" - Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya made his debut during India's tour of Australia in 2016. The all-rounder endured a rough start to his international career, but clawed his way back, supporting his credentials as a bright prospect.

Commenting on playing Pakistan in a packed MCG, the al-rounder said:

"Quite exciting. It's fantastic to play in front of such a crowd and atmosphere. You get jitters for this but I'm quite excited. I made my T20 debut in Australia and from there the journey has continued. It's good to be back here. It's a sporting country and you can't get a better place to play a sport and enjoy."

Rohit Sharma won the toss for India and elected to bowl first. The two sides will take to the field shortly to kick-start their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign.

Who will win the contest between India and Pakistan? Let us know what you think.