Earlier this month, a certain picture featuring Hardik Pandya went viral on social media platforms. The picture saw Hardik practicing with the red ball, sparking instant discussions over the all-rounder’s potential red-ball comeback. Since his return from a back injury in 2022, Hardik has only made himself available for white-ball formats.
This further narrowed down to only T20 appearances after another injury during the 2023 World Cup last year. Hardik was also not picked for the 3-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August earlier this year. There were reports which stated that the all-rounder might need to participate in domestic tournaments like the Vijay Hazare trophy in order to be considered for selection.
Interestingly, there was also a report which hinted at Hardik’s return to the Ranji Trophy this season. His last first-class appearance for Baroda came way back in 2018. However, former India star Parthiv Patel believes that Hardik is definitely not coming back to red-ball cricket anytime soon.
Speaking on JioCinema as the play was delayed on Day 2 of the second Test between India and Bangladesh due to rain, Parthiv stated that Hardik was forced to practice with the red ball, as a white ball wasn’t available.
“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.
