'He was practicing with the red ball only because...': Former India cricketer ends speculations over Hardik Pandya's Test comeback

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel has quashed speculations of all-rounder Hardik Pandya's return to Test cricket following a viral video of him bowling with the red ball. 
 

Pandya hasn't played Test cricket since India's tour of England in 2018 and his last first-class appearance for Baroda came in the same year. Following his injuries, he has put red-ball cricket on hold. 
 

"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," Parthiv told the broadcasters on Day 2 of the Test between India and Bangladesh at Green Park, Kanpur. 
 

Hardik who played a pivotal role in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph hasn’t played ODI cricket since his ankle injury in ODI World Cup 2023. The 30-year-old did not feature in the ODI series either after playing in T20Is against Sri Lanka under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy. He will return for the T20I series at home against Bangladesh starting next month. 

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Parthiv on how Hardik can return to Test cricket

Earlier, Parthiv had said that if the Baroda all-rounder wants to play Test cricket again, he will have to do the hard yards in first-class cricket.
 

"That is up to Hardik whether he wants to play Test cricket or not. If he wants to play Test cricket, the Indian selectors and everyone has made it clear that you have to play first class cricket. So, to make a comeback into Indian Test side, he will obviously first have to play Ranji Trophy cricket or first class cricket, so to speak," the 39-year-old told IANS.

 

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Hardik’s Test numbers

Hardik has played 11 Tests so far scoring 532 runs at an average of 31.29 including a century and four fifties. He has a strike rate of 73.88. With the ball, he has 17 wickets at an average of 31.05. His only fifer came against Engand at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
 

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