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Hardik Pandya May Not be Seen in Test Cricket For a Long While – Aakash Chopra

Pandya has hardly bowled after recuperating from a back injury.

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes all-rounder Hardik Pandya may not be seen in Test cricket for a long while after he was not picked for the ICC Test Championship final and in the squad for England tour. Pandya has not been bowling regularly since he has made a comeback after his back surgery.

In fact, Pandya had himself stated that he wants to give his best in the limited-overs format and his body might not be ready for Test cricket. The all-rounder from Baroda has hardly bowled and his workload has been managed with guile by the Indian team. Furthermore, Pandya didn’t even bowl a single over for five-time champions Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended.

“One thing is certain that if he is not there in the WTC final, it’s fine but if Pandya name is not there even for the five Tests against England, it’s clear that Hardik Pandya may not be seen in Test cricket for a long while,” said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

“We all felt Hardik Pandya’s name will surely be there. It is obvious that if he has to play Test cricket anywhere then England, South Africa and Australia are the places where you will need Hardik Pandya the medium pacer.”

Chopra added that there is an issue with Pandya’s bowling and he isn’t ready for the adversities of Test cricket. Pandya would have definitely added value on the England tour as a seam-bowling all-rounder but India will rely on its spin all-rounders to do the job. In fact, Pandya had last played a Test match back in 2018 against England at Southampton and since then he hasn’t been seen in the Indian whites.

“There is an issue with his bowling. The captain also said sometime back that they are managing his workload, so that we can keep him safe for Test cricket,” said Chopra.

“The next day itself Hardik had given a statement that he does not want to play Test cricket at the moment because the situation of his back is very bad and he doesn’t want to bowl. So, this is a statement on Hardik Pandya’s immediate Test career that he will not be considered now, which is completely understandable if he is not bowling.”

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