Ace India allrounder Hardik Pandya's Instagram stories, where he was seen bowling with the red ball, have triggered immense speculations among fans over a possible Test cricket comeback. The Indian cricketer is reportedly training in England, as he spends a two-month-long break from cricket before he makes a comeback to the limited-overs series against Bangladesh.
Pandya's bowling with the red cherry evoked a lot of interest on social media after he posted a series of stories on Instagram.
Pandya has not played Tests since September 2018 and underwent a lower back surgery five years ago. He was requested to play the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia but he turned down the offer stating that he did not want to take up the place of a regular Test cricketer.
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"It's heartening to know that Hardik is bowling with red ball but has he 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 PTI.
According to a report in PTI, if Pandya does not play any domestic red-ball cricket like the Duleep Trophy or the Irani Cup, he cannot be picked for Tests even though he can bring in the necessary balance during the upcoming tour Down Under.
Although Pandya will return for the white-ball series against Bangladesh, it needs to be seen if he follows it up with some Ranji Trophy action for Baroda.
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Hardik Pandya's Test Career In Numbers
In 11 Tests, Pandya has scored 532 runs with one hundred and four fifties to his name. He has also picked 17 wickets at an economy of 3.38.
Pandya's last first-class game was against Mumbai at the Wankhede in December 2018, in which he picked seven wickets and scored 73 runs.
Pandya has 1351 runs from 29 first-class games, besides 48 wickets at an impressive economy of 3.3.