“If time is right and body is fine,” Hardik Pandya’s huge update on Test career

He is not part of the 17-member squad for the first two Tests against Australia.

“If time is right and body is fine,” Hardik Pandya’s huge update on Test career

Hardik Pandya's huge update on Test career

India’s stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya talked about his red-ball career after the third T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday. He led the team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma who has been given rest following the three-match ODI series ahead of the Test series against Australia.

In the T20I series, after losing the first match, India went on to win the second one in a low-scoring thriller. In the one-sided third match, Shubman Gill‘s havoc with the bat alongside Pandya’s quickfire of 37 off 17 balls guided the team to 234/4.

Later, Pandya triggered a collapse with his four-wicket haul to bundle out the visitors for a mere 66 runs in 12.1 overs. The 29-year-old then received the Player of the Series for his all-round performance.

Pandya returned from injury last year to be in the Indian Premier League, captaining the title-winning Gujarat Titans. Since his comeback to white-ball cricket, he has become one of India’s impactful players, delivering in every department. He also led the T20I team on various occasions, winning all, and this three-match T20I series was one of them.

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Hardik Pandya is not part of the Test series vs Australia

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya

After the match, he was asked about his red-ball career. “I will come (back) when I feel (it’s) the right time to play Test-match cricket,” Pandya said after winning the series.

“Right now, I’m going to focus on white-ball cricket, which is important, and if time is right and body is fine, I’ll give (the long format) a try,” he added. He is not part of the 17-member squad for the first two Tests against Australia.

Pandya last played red-ball cricket for India back in 2018 against England. His debut came in 2017 against Sri Lanka, and later, he would play 11 Test matches, scoring 532 runs and scalping 17 wickets. He has a century and four half-centuries to his name, along with a five-wicket haul.

The Men in Blue are doing their full homework for the high-profile four-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is slated to start on February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. In all likelihood, Rohit Sharma and Co. will also lock horns with the same team again in the World Test Championship final, which will take place in June in England.

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