Pandya’s Test Comeback? All Eyes on Hardik as He Rolls Out the Red Ball

Famous all-rounder Hardik Pandya of India uploaded a video of himself bowling with the red ball on Thursday during an England training session, sparking rumors that he would play Test cricket again.

Pandya bowling with the red cherry generated a lot of attention on social media following the 30-year-old’s Instagram story posts.

The all-rounder, who is prone to injuries, had lower back surgery in 2019 and hasn’t participated in Test cricket since September 2018.

He declined the invitation to participate in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia, saying he didn’t want to replace a regular red-ball player. He last played a first-class game in December 2018.

Pandya continues to be India’s top all-around pace bowler by a wide margin, with players like Shivam Dube and Nitish Reddy trailing far behind the vibrant Baroda native.

The all-rounder has not yet informed the team management of his intentions for red-ball cricket, but social media videos appear to indicate that he is attempting to increase his workload before to the Bangladesh T20 series in October.

Since the World Cup final in June, Pandya has participated in just two competitive matches, the T20s against Sri Lanka.

“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 wondered.

It is recognized that even though he may provide the necessary balance in Australia as the fourth bowler and seventh batsman, he cannot be selected straight for Test cricket if he does not play any local red-ball cricket.

The question of whether he plays red-ball cricket for Baroda will be intriguing, as he omitted the Duleep Trophy because of workload management.

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