Hardik Pandya bowls with red ball, triggers speculation over his Test comeback

Hardik Pandya. Pic/AFP

Team India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya posted a video on social media in which he was seen hitting the nets with the red ball in England. It triggered the speculation of him making his return to Test cricket.

Hardik Pandya's bowling with the red cherry evoked a lot of interest on social media after the 30-year-old posted a series of stories on Instagram.

He last represented India in Tests in September 2018 and later underwent a lower back surgery in 2019. Hardik Pandya was requested to feature in the World Test Championship in 2023 against Australia but the veteran did not accept it stating that he didn't want to take the place of a regular red-ball player.

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Hardik Pandya last featured in a first-class match in December 2018. He still remains as Team India's best bowling all-rounder with Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy way behind the Baroda cricketer.

The videos posted on social media suggest that the all-rounder is trying to ramp up his workload before the Bangladesh T20 series in October but he is yet to inform the team management about his plans for red-ball cricket. Pandya has played two competitive games, the T20s against Sri Lanka since the World Cup final in June.

"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.

It is understood that if he doesn't play any domestic red-ball cricket, he can't be directly picked for Test cricket even though he could bring in the required balance in Australia as the fourth pacer and No.7 batter. Having skipped the Duleep Trophy due to workload management, it will be interesting to see if he plays red-ball cricket for Baroda.

(With PTI Inputs)