Hardik Pandya may not be seen in Test cricket for a long while: Aakash Chopra

On May 7, BCCI announced India’s squad that will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship finale and later play the five-match Test series against England. The 20-man jumbo squad included all the names that were expected around this time but the exclusion of Hardik Pandya yet again has raised a few eyebrows. With Pandya now able to bowl much in the recent while, he seems to lose his place in the purest format of the game.

Pandya didn’t bowl a single over for Mumbai Indians in the 14^th edition of IPL. Ever Since the junior Pandya has got his back surgery done, he is struggling with the ball. In the same reference, former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has made a big statement on the all-rounder.

“One thing is certain that if he is not there in the WTC final, it’s fine but if his 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.

“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. 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 on his YouTube channel.

Hardik Pandya not in his prime fitness currently

Chopra concluded by stating that Pandya even stated it the other day that he doesn’t want to play Test cricket at the current moment. The condition of his back is not perfectly fine and he cannot show up with the ball. It certainly cleared that his immediate Test career will remain in doubt.

Talking about other players for upcoming assignments, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla have been named as four standby players by the BCCI owing to their impressive show in the domestic circuit.