Praveen slams Hardik: Play for country, not just IPL

'You don't play for the country; you don't play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL'

Concerns have been raised regarding Hardik Pandya's limited participation in domestic white-ball cricket while playing in the IPL.

Speaking much on the same lines, in a clip that has gone viral on social media, former cricketer Praveen Kumar expressed his opinion that prioritising IPL over domestic commitments could be detrimental.

"You get injured two months before the IPL, you don't play for the country; you don't play for your state in domestic cricket, and just directly play in the IPL. That's not how things should be done. It's okay to earn money, there's nothing wrong with that. But you have to play for state and country and now people only give importance to the IPL", Praveen said.

Praveen also commented on the recent Mumbai Indians captaincy change, suggesting that Rohit Sharma could have continued leading the team.

Despite the franchise pinning the reason down to Rohit's dwindling numbers with the bat over the last few seasons, the former Mumbai Indians bowler reckoned that the India captain could have continued to lead the side for another three years.

“Yes, Rohit can do it. Not only for one year, but he can do it for two years, three years. But eventually, the decision lies in the hands of the management,” the 37-year-old said.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians nets for the first time since 2021.

Mumbai Indians put up a video of the all-rounder via their official social media account.

Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians sent ripples through the Indian cricketing fraternity and had mixed reviews from fans.