Ever since he underwent a major surgery to deal with a longstanding back issue, Hardik Pandya stopped playing red-ball cricket and focused himself on remaining in top shape for limited-overs. His last first-class match was in December 2018.
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However, just a week before India are set to face Bangladesh in the Chennai Test, the star allrounder has shared a few videos and a picture of himself bowling with the red-ball raising hopes he might be making his red-ball comeback.
Pandya last played a Test for India in August-September 2018 and later underwent a surgery post which he just concentrated on white-ball cricket. There were speculations that the 30-year-old could be a surprise pick in India’s squad for the final of the 2023 World Test Championship but he turned down the talks by asserting he doesn’t want to take the place of a Test regular.
While Pandya hasn’t explicitly revealed his plans of playing red-ball cricket, the series of Instagram stories do give a hint that he may not be averse to reviving his first-class career.
“It’s heartening to know that Hardik is bowling with red ball but has he really spoken to men who matter (chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma) about his intentions?,” a senior BCCI source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
India are scheduled to play plenty of Test cricket in the upcoming months. They will first host Bangladesh for a two-match series followed by three matches against New Zealand before flying to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which will see the two teams squaring off across five Tests.
Even if Pandya expresses his willingness to resurrect his Test career, he will have to prove his form and fitness for the longer format by playing domestic cricket for his side Baroda. The Indian domestic season is already underway with the Duleep Trophy.
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