India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, on Thursday, sent fans on social media into overdrive after his practice video, showcasing his bowling drills, went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter. The video sparked speculations on a possible return to Test cricket, which couldn’t be a more delightful development for India captain Rohit Sharma and new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In the video, Hardik is seen bowling with the red cherry during a practice session in England, thus sparking significant interest in social media, with fans guessing his return to the traditional format after six years.
The 30-year-old last played the format in September 2018, before undergoing lower back surgery, following which he sidelined himself from the longest format. In fact, his prolonged suffering from back injury had even limited his role as an all-rounder in white-ball cricket. He only resumed his role as a bowler from IPL 2022 onwards, which eventually led to his return to the Indian team in the limited-overs set-up after a lengthy absence of over eight months following the criticism he faced for solely featuring as a batter in the side’s forgettable 2021 T20 World Cup campaign.
His impressive show in the two white-ball formats, and amid India’s struggle to strike a balance in the Test line-up, sparked a discussion on a possible Test cricket return for the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia. In fact, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and England great Nasser Hussain were among those experts who urged Hardik to make a comeback, but the offer was declined, with the India star saying: “If I want to play Test cricket, I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot. Hence, for that reason I will not be available for the WTC final or future Test series until I don’t feel that I have earned my spot.”
Could Hardik Pandya make a Test return?
“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 asked as quoted by PTI.
A player of Hardik’s calibre could be a perfect fit for India in the playing XI for the Border-Gavaskar Test series in Australian conditions as a fourth pacer and No.7 batter. However, given the current rules set by the BCCI, Hardik will have to feature in domestic cricket to prove his worth as an all-rounder to make the selection cut.
Hardik, who featured in two competitive games, the T20s against Sri Lanka, since the T20 World Cup final in June, was not named for the ongoing Duleep Trophy and hence needs to feature in the Ranji Trophy tournament, which begins next month, in a bid to make a Test return. But as of now, the video only suggests that Hardik is looking to ramp up his workload before the Bangladesh T20I series in October.
