Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has revealed that Hardik Pandya was seen practising with a red ball because a white ball wasn't available and there are no chances of a Test comeback anytime soon. A recent picture of Pandya practising with a red ball had gone viral on social media from his Instagram story, sparking discussions over a possible Test comeback.
Pandya has become a white-ball specialist over time and hasn't played any red-ball cricket for India over the last six years. He hasn't featured in ODIs for a long time either but played a crucial role in India's T20 World Cup win in June.
There were reports that Pandya has been asked to play Ranji Trophy if he is at all eyeing a return to international red-ball cricket. Not just international, he hasn't played any first-class games for Baroda over the last six years either.
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Speaking on JioCinema as the play was delayed on Day 2 of the second Test between India and Bangladesh, Parthiv said that Pandya was forced to practice with the red ball, as a white ball was not available at the moment.
“I'm not looking at Hardik Pandya (in Tests). He was practising with the red ball only because the white ball wasn't available. I don't think his body allows four-day and five-day matches. He has to play at least one first-class game (before being considered for selection in Tests), which is very unlikely," Parthiv said.
With a crucial Test series against New Zealand and Australia coming up, the possibility of Pandya flying Down Under was floated even more.
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“The second Test was an opportunity for India to use Yash Dayal. And no, I'm not undermining Bangladesh, but if this Test ends in a draw, it is very important to address that the next series will be against New Zealand and then they won't be in a position to experiment," Parthiv said.