End of great Hardik Pandya project in Test cricket?

The squad for the World Test Championship final was more or less on expected lines barring few outlandish issues that have not been addressed for so long by the national selection committee.

Out of all, the flip flops over the selection of Hardik Pandya is the most pertinent one. Once touted as the man who would revolutionise Indian cricket like Kapil Dev, Pandya has not found a place in the 20-man squad for the World Test Championship final.

After playing in the limited-overs fixtures in the Australia series, Pandya had to head back home given he was not part of the Test squad. Virat Kohli and team management at that point in time had stated that they will ease Pandya into his full stature, given he had not bowled a single ball in the Indian Premier League preceding in tour Down Under.

When he was added to the Indian Test team for the home series against England earlier this year, there were hopes of his return in the longest format. 

However, all those hopes are set to be shattered as BCCI is all but certain not to consider Pandya for Test cricket, and it is evident with him not finding a place in the Test squad for the WTC final and England tour. 

A BCCI official has said that the experiment to prepare him with 'workload management' has failed badly and hence he will not be considered for the longest format.

“Hardik Pandya is still not in a position to bowl. The experiment of selectors to keep him during England Tests and prepare him with bowling workload has failed miserably. He will henceforth not be considered for Test cricket,” a BCCI source told PTI.

There’s also a case of judicious utilisation of Pandya’s talent and hence selection committee is not ready to risk him in Test cricket in the year of an ICC World T20. A TOI report has suggested that BCCI is not considering Pandya for the Test format as they are giving him time off to give rest to both the troubling aspects of his body—back and shoulder in order to be in perfect shape come the ICC World T20 later this year.

“Even Hardik Pandya realizes that he is vulnerable if he pushes himself with the ball. He is now focusing a lot more on his batting. The team management understands that with the T20 World Cup coming later in the year, it’s better to give him more time off so that he could be in the best shape for the marquee event. He will be used sparingly depending on the match situation,” TOI quoted a BCCI source as saying.

Notably, Pandya has not played the longest format since the fourth Test on India’s last tour of England in 2018 due to recurrent injury concerns. His back was troubling him and he went under the knife to get over it. However, as he recovered from a troubling back, his shoulders started to open up his position in Test cricket.