Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been out of action for a while now. He is focused on regaining his fitness and the latest decision of the player hints at his priorities going forward. In this article, we take a look at the reason why Hardik Pandya might not feature in Test cricket in the future.
Hardik Pandya might not feature in Test cricket in the future
Baroda Cricket Association has announced the 20-member squad that will play the upcoming Ranji Trophy. The domestic competition will be held in two phases, with the IPL 2022 sandwiched in between them.
Baroda’s Team for Ranji Trophy: Kedar Dhevdhar (c), Vishnu Solanki, Pratyush Kumar, Shivalik Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Abhimanyusingh Rajput, Dhruv Patel, Mitesh Patel, Lukman Meriwala, Babashafi Pathan (wk), Atit Sheth, Bhargav Bhatt, Parth Kohli, Shashwat Rawat, Soyeb Sopariya, Kartik Kakade, Gurjindersingh Mann, Jyotsnil Singh, Ninad Rathwa, Akshay More.
Hardik Pandya is one of the notable absentees from the squad. The player does not have an international commitment and there are also reports that he is very close to peak fitness. Yet, he has decided not to play the Ranji Trophy.
A few months ago, there were reports that Hardik would altogether retire from Tests to focus on the shorter formats. He last played a red-ball game back in 2018 against England. Hence, the upcoming Ranji campaign could have been useful for Hardik to get some crucial game time. Now that he will not take part in it, it is clear that he has set his eyes completely on the shorter formats. Hence, it might be possible that we may not see Hardik in whites in the future.
A decision that is worth debating
Considering his fragility to injuries, the Ahmedabad IPL franchise’s captain might have taken the decision to sideline Tests for the moment. India needs Hardik Pandya as the medium-pace bowling all-rounder in all the formats actually. However, he is all the more relevant in the shorter formats. Therefore, considering the demand for Team India and Hardik’s own injury record, him moving away from Tests may not be a bad decision.
