Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has shut down speculation surrounding Hardik Pandya’s potential return to Test cricket. Recently, a video surfaced of Pandya practicing with a red ball in the nets, sparking rumors of a Test comeback. However, Patel clarified that the practice session was merely because a white ball was unavailable at the time, not an indication of Pandya’s plans for a return to the longer format.
Pandya’s Focus on White-Ball Cricket
Hardik Pandya has been a crucial player for India in the shorter formats but has not had a significant impact on the Test arena, primarily due to injuries that have kept him out of key matches. His most recent injury occurred during the ODI World Cup 2023 when he was injured while fielding off his own bowling, ruling him out for several months. Since recovering from a back injury in IPL 2022, Pandya has made himself available only for ODIs and T20Is.
Parthiv Patel emphasized that a Test return for Pandya is unlikely given his physical limitations. “I’m not looking at Hardik Pandya (in Tests). He was practicing with the red ball only because the white ball wasn’t available. I don’t think his body allows four-day and five-day matches. He has to play at least one first-class game (before being considered for selection in Tests), which is very unlikely,” Patel stated.
Hardik last played a Test in 2018 against England in Southampton. Since then, his recurring injuries have kept him out of red-ball cricket. Across his 11 Tests, Pandya has scored 532 runs at an average of 31.29 with one century and four fifties, and he has taken 17 wickets at an average of 31.05, including one five-wicket haul.
Parthiv on Yash Dayal’s Missed Opportunity
Parthiv Patel also commented on the lack of opportunity given to Yash Dayal in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh. He believes that India could have experimented by giving Dayal a Test debut in the series, but the upcoming matches against New Zealand might not allow for such experimentation. Patel added, “The second Test was an opportunity for India to use Yash Dayal. And no, I’m not undermining Bangladesh, but if this Test match ends in a draw, it is very important to address that the next series will be against New Zealand, and then they won’t be in a position to experiment.”
India is currently in a Test series against Bangladesh and will soon face New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home. Following this, India will have a challenging away series against Australia, where they are scheduled to play five Tests against the home team later in the year.