Kapil Dev’s advice to Hardik Pandya: Regular cricket could hold the key to staying fit

Hardik Pandya’s prolonged absence from competitive cricket has once again brought India’s player workload, game time and injury management into focus. With the all-rounder now ruled out of the upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand, former India captain Kapil Dev believes regular cricket could be crucial to keeping Pandya on the field.
Pandya has not played competitive cricket since the final week of IPL 2026. He was expected to return for India A in the ODI series against Australia A beginning October 6, but his comeback was delayed. He is now set to miss India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, which begins with a five-match T20I series on October 22.
Asked what Pandya needs to do to remain available more often, Kapil offered a simple answer.
“Play more cricket,” he told The Times of India.
Kapil explained that regular match exposure helps the body stay accustomed to the demands of the sport, while long periods away followed by a sudden increase in workload can make players more vulnerable to injuries.
“I don’t know. You play more, your body gets tuned to that. But if you play less and suddenly you play more, chances of injury increase. If your muscles are fine, your injuries are less,” he said.
Pandya’s situation comes as India deal with fitness concerns involving several other players. Prasidh Krishna has been ruled out for at least three weeks and is likely to miss the upcoming five-match ODI series against New Zealand. Harshit Rana has also suffered a setback during his rehabilitation and is unlikely to feature on the tour.
The wider pattern has led to a discussion about the amount of cricket players should play. Kapil pointed to the workload of his generation, when cricketers regularly featured in domestic competitions alongside international assignments.
“Sandeep Patil put it very nicely. ‘In our time we used to play Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, club cricket, other cricket too.’ In 365 days, if you can play 250 days, you’re in the game,” Kapil said.
Modern cricket has made workload management more complicated, particularly for players expected to contribute across multiple formats. Pandya’s importance to India is even greater because of his role as a pace-bowling all-rounder.
His latest setback also comes with India beginning to shape their plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Keeping key players available for sustained periods will be an important part of that process.
For Pandya, the immediate priority is to return to competitive cricket and build the continuity that Kapil believes can help his body handle the demands of the game.