"Why was he selected?"- Saba Karim baffled by Hardik Pandya's injury saga

Former Indian selector and wicketkeeper Saba Karim is confused by the niggle that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is said to be carrying. Karim finds it difficult to understand how Pandya was selected in India's T20 World Cup squad if he was unfit.

The rules laid down, according to Saba Karim, state that a player has to prove his fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and only then can they get selected for the Indian team. But if an injury or niggle takes place after their selection, then their inclusion would be justified.

Speaking on the YouTube channel "Khelneeti", here is what Saba Karim had to say about Hardik Pandya.

"He (Hardik) is a big player. But the question now is when he was selected for the Ind team, was he fully fit or not? If he was fit then it is justified. But if not, then when did this niggle happen? If he was carrying that injury then why was he selected? The general rule is - you have to prove your fitness and go to NCA and come back. This rule applies to everyone. So, the question is right but we don't know what has exactly happened with Pandya."

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We need to be patient with Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav: Saba Karim

Players like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have not been able to score consistently in the IPL 2021 season so far. On being asked whether the Indian selectors made a mistake by naming them in the 15-man squad, Saba Karim said the fans need to be patient with such players.

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Karim understands the difficulty of being consistent in T20s and believes both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan will come good sooner rather than later.

"I don't think the Indian selectors made a mistake my selecting Ishan Kishan. When he was scoring runs against England, we were saying his selection is right. So such a phase comes. We react too early and become judgemental. It is a huge challenge to be consistent in T20s. As cricket fans we need to stay patient with players like Ishan and Suryakumar," Saba Karim concluded.