Good to be back on field: Hardik Pandya announces comeback

Mumbai, March 3:  Mumbai Indians fans welcomed their star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya who hinted that he has regained match fitness after suffering an acute lower back injury five months ago.

The 26-year-old all-rounder, an integral member of the defending champions who underwent a surgery in London, made a blistering return to cricket as he smashed 38 runs off 25 deliveries in the DY Patil T20 Cup.

On Monday, Pandya shared pictures of himself on the field on social media and wrote: "So good to be back out there on the field where I belong. Your support keeps me going."

Mumbai batsmen Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav hailed Pandya's comeback with heartwarming comments on his Instagram post.

Fans also poured in their wishes for the India all-rounder and posted messages on Twitter.

Pandya's form will auger well for the Mumbai Indians and their fans as the Rohit Sharma-led side gears up to launch a defence of their title when they face arch rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 13 opener at the Wankhede on March 29.

Last month, Pandya started bowling at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru after returning from a check-up in UK.

Speaking to IANS, an NCA source in the know of developments said that Pandya has started working on his bowling at the academy and should be available for selection soon.

India are scheduled to play three ODIs against South Africa from March 12 to 18 and Pandya might be included in the squad.