Former speedster Shoaib Akhtar had warned Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya of an impending injury which he ignored, but later paid the price.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Since India's semifinal exit in the 2019 ODI World Cup, Pandya has seen a drastic change in his international career graph due to fitness issues. The all-rounder wasn't at his best this year and received plenty of criticism for his role in India's exit from the T20 World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking on Aakash Chopra's YouTube channel, Akhtar revealed that he had predicted Hardik's fitness issues and had also warned the Gujarat cricketer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I had told Jasprit Bumrah in Dubai and even Hardik Pandya. They were lean like birds. They didn't have back muscles. Even now, I have such good strong back muscles behind my shoulders", said Akhtar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I touched his (Hardik) back, muscles were there but very lean. So, I warned him that he would get injured. But he said that he has been playing a lot of cricket. Exactly an hour-and-a-half later, he got injured," he further added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Akhtar also stated that he had advised Hardik to increase his muscle mass.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former pacer further suggested some tips for the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami on how to keep fit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Bhuvneshwar has to strengthen his glutes, hamstring, lower back and upper torso. Shami needs to have a leaner upper body.<\/p>\r\n\r\n