The exciting news that Hardik Pandya, the potent Indian all-rounder, has been photographed practicing with the red ball once more has the cricket world in a frenzy. This most recent breakthrough has sparked conjecture over a possible comeback to Test cricket, the longest format in the game.
Is Hardik Pandya Making A Comeback In Test Cricket?
With his most recent social media post, Hardik Pandya, the top fast-bowling all-round player for India, has stoked more rumors about a potential return to Test cricket. The 30-year-old used his official Instagram feed to share pictures of himself with the red ball. During a training session in the nets, he was observed rehearsing with the bat and the ball.
Pandya has demonstrated encouraging signs of being able to play in the longest format, amassing four fifty-score runs. In the 11 games, he has claimed 17 wickets with the ball, including one fifer. After a six-year absence, the Indian international may try to return to the longest format. He last participated in a Test match in Southampton against England.
It should be mentioned that Pandya has struggled with recurrent injuries as well. The all-rounder’s ankle injury sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup prevented him from playing the remainder of the competition, which could have hampered India’s chances of winning the championship match against Australia. With Gautam Gambhir taking over as the team’s new coach, Pandya, an all-around player who is deadly with the bat and the ball, might be brought in.
Indian Cricket Team Getting Ready For The Upcoming Challenges
The Indian cricket team is currently preparing in white as they prepare to play Bangladesh in a two-match series that is scheduled to start tomorrow. After the Tests, the Indian side will play Bangladesh in a three-match Twenty20 International series. Pandya is probably going to be in the lineup.
It is unclear, though, if India will attempt to make significant changes to the team that qualified for the World Test Championship finals in the first two editions, with players like Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja still going strong.
There will be ten Test matches scheduled for the Indian team this year. Following the Test series between Bangladesh and New Zealand, India will play a three-match series at home before the biggest event of the year, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where they will tour Australia in November 2024 to defend the trophy.
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