Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel has put an end to rumors about Hardik Pandya’s possible return to Test. Recently, Hardik Pandya was seen practicing with the red ball in the nets, sparking rumors of his return to Test cricket.
Hardik Pandya is a vital player for India in white-ball formats, but the same is not the case for him in Test cricket. The star all-rounder has missed several important matches in his career due to various injuries.
His recent injury was in the 2023 ODI World Cup when he was injured while bowling his own bowling and was ruled out for several months. Since returning from a back injury in IPL 2022, he has been available only for ODIs and T20Is.
Also Read: Neither Rohit nor Kohli: Basit Ali reveals India, Australia star aiming ahead of BGT 2024-25
Parthiv Patel closes the door on Hardik Pandya’s possible return to the Test
But the recent video on social media speculated that he might play for Baroda in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. He last made a first-class appearance for Baroda in 2018.
But Parthiv Patel put an end to those rumors and claimed that Pandya bowled the red ball only because the white ball was not available. He even mentioned that Hardik’s body will not allow him to bowl in the longest format of the game.
“I am not looking at Hardik Pandya (in Tests). I was practicing with the red ball only because the white ball was not available. I don’t think his body will allow him to play games of four or five days. He has to play at least one first-class match (before being considered for selection in Tests), which is very unlikely,” Parthiv said.
Hardik Pandya last played a Test match in 2018 against England in Southampton. Since then, constant injuries have forced him to stay away from the rigors of red-ball cricket.
Hardik Pandya has played 11 Tests in which he scored 532 runs at an average of 31.29 with 1 hundred and 4 fifties. The right-handed all-rounder has picked up 17 wickets at an average of 31.05, which also included a five-wicket haul.
Parthiv Patel talks about Yash Dayal
Parthiv Patel also believes that India has missed the opportunity to give Yash Dayal his debut in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh. He also added that India will not be in a position to experiment in the upcoming series against New Zealand and Dayal might not get a match to prove himself before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“The second Test was an opportunity for India to use Yash Dayal. And no, I am not belittling Bangladesh, but if this Test match ends in a draw, it is very important to keep in mind that the next series will be against New Zealand, and then they will not be in a position to experiment.” Parthiv calculated.
After the ongoing series against Bangladesh, India will play a three-match Test series against New Zealand at home. But the Men in Blue will face a stern test in an away series against Australia later this year, where they will play five Tests against the home team.