Hardik Pandya announces return with helicopter shot

Pandya posted the video of him playing the helicopter shot on social media with the caption "Guess my inspiration behind this shot?"

After defeats to Australia in both T20s and ODIs, there is good news for Indian fans and perhaps more so for the Mumbai Indians ones. Hardik Pandya has hit the nets after recovering from a lower-back stiffness and he has also added a new shot to his repertoire – the helicopter shot.

Pandya was seen playing a helicopter shot during the training session of Mumbai Indians ahead of IPL 2019. The Mumbai Indians started their training camp on Wednesday.

Pandya posted the video of him playing the helicopter shot on social media with the caption "Guess my inspiration behind this shot?" 

Guess my inspiration behind this shot? 🚁 😍 pic.twitter.com/9mwQ6uNg3g

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) March 14, 2019

The seam-bowling all-rounder was ruled out of the entire Australia series with a lower back injury which he had picked up during the Asia Cup in UAE in September last year. After staying away from cricket for about three months, he did make a comeback in New Zealand but the injury returned to haunt him.

In between, Pandya also had to deal with a suspension along with KL Rahul for their inappropriate comments on a popular TV show. Their suspension was provisionally revoked but the case is still pending with BCCI’s new ombudsman.

The 25-year-old’s absence became one of the major factors behind India’s defeats against Australia. Pandya’s replacement Vijay Shankar did look good in the small starts he got in the series but failed to make an impactful score. Moreover, Shankar’s bowling too was not up to the mark.

Like many, Pandya would be treating the upcoming IPL as a preparatory tournament for the World Cup. He has been a part of the Mumbai Indians’ squad since 2015 and would once again be crucial in their title hopes.