New Delhi: Injury prone flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been a hot topic of discussion since India’s squad selection for the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2021.
The 28-year-old was named in the squad as an all-rounder, but he could not contribute much to the national side as a bowler, since then Pandya’s inability to bowl had raised questions over his spot in the side. And now reports stated that he is likely to retire from Test cricket to prolong his white-ball career.
According to a report in InsideSport, the Baroda all-rounder wants to focus more on T20s and ODIs. Recently, Hardik was released by his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022. The report states that he has informally informed the BCCI about his desire but he is yet to make an official announcement.
He is also not being considered for the South Africa Tour. “He has been struggling with injuries for a while and although he hasn’t informed us officially, he is considering Test retirement. It will help him keep his focus on white-ball cricket. He was anyway not in our plans for Tests. It will be a great loss for sure but we have to prepare backup,” a top BCCI official told InsideSport.
Pandya last played a Test match back in 2018 in England and since then he has been out of action in Test cricket. Indian Premier League’s 14th edition saw Hardik struggle with the bat a lot. Hardik had also failed in the T20 World Cup. He bowled in only two matches and did not get any success. He was also criticized a lot for his fitness over the years.
“He is just 28 and it is definitely going to be a big miss if he does take a final call on quitting Test cricket. He has been one of the best all-rounders India could ever produce. But we need all-rounder Hardik back in limited-overs with two World Cups in the next two years. His return to bowling will be more important,” the BCCI official told added.
