Former Indian wicket-keeper bat Parthiv Patel reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya could make a comeback in Test matches. Citing his and Dinesh Karthik’s example, Patel feels it is not the end of the road for Pandya in the red-ball version.
Meanwhile, Pandya recently was seen practicing with the red-ball, hinting at his long-awaited return to the multi-day format. Pandya last played a Test match for India in 2018 against England at the Oval. Subsequently, Pandya suffered a horrific back injury and later admitted his body wasn’t ready for the adversities of Test cricket.
Since the back injury, Pandya has only played in limited-overs format and he has managed his bowling workload with guile. The all-rounder also shone in the T20 World Cup 2024 and played a key role in India’s success.
Parthiv Patel said on IANS, “I personally do not see end of the road for any cricketer. I made a comeback after 8 years, while Dinesh Karthik made a comeback after 10 years. So, there is never an end of road for any cricketer as long as they are playing cricket. That is up to Hardik whether he wants to play Test cricket or not.”
“If he wants to play Test cricket, the Indian selectors and everyone has made it clear that you have to play first-class cricket. So, to make a comeback into the Indian Test side, he will obviously first have to play Ranji Trophy cricket or first-class cricket, so to speak. But there is never end of road, and I don’t believe in the end of road for any cricketer ever.”
On the other hand, Patel also showered praise on Jasprit Bumrah for his incredible evolution in the last few years. Bumrah is currently the best fast bowler across formats and has consistently breathed down the neck of the opposition batters.
“The ability to understand the game and delivering under pressure – that’s something which makes him stand apart from anyone else. I’ve seen him since he’s made his first-class debut. He was predominantly just in-swinging bowler. But now you can see how he takes the ball away. He has mastered the yorker length very well, and can disguise it really well with his slower ones,” said Parthiv.
“Plus, he wasn’t using bouncer as such, but now he’s using that also. So he has all the variety, and perfection in all of those balls he bowls. For me, using those balls at the right point of time, and delivering under pressure, that makes him stand apart from any bowler in the world.”
The opening Test match between India and Bangladesh will be played at the Chepauk Stadium, Chennai from September 19.
