India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya is eyeing a comeback into the national colors but his return has been derailed once again. Pandya was not considered for the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour after he failed a bowling workload test. It was earlier reported that Pandya flunked the Yo-Yo Test but later it was confirmed that the all-rounder could not clear it was the bowling fitness test, which he could not get past.
It was expected that Pandya will make his way into the ODI squad after he had missed out on the T20I squad but it wasn’t to be the case. Pandya’s back injury has taken more time to heal than it was to be expected to be. The all-rounder is not yet ready for international cricket and he will need to play at least one domestic match for Baroda before he can be considered for national selection.
Pandya will like to take his time.
“He must have felt that he will be fit. But as we know he has failed the fitness test contrary to what his trainer S Rajnikant claims. It was never about Yo-Yo Test but about bowling fitness. He failed the workload test which broadly means failing a fitness test,” a senior BCCI source in the know of things was quoted by PTI on conditions of anonymity.
It was also recently learned that Pandya wanted to give some more time to his back to recuperate. In fact, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury was mismanaged and Pandya would not like to make the same mistake.
Pandya is going to be a vital cog in India’s wheel for the T20 World Cup, later in the year. The all-rounder can provide the finishing touches with his explosive batting and also can chip in with the ball. The Baroda cricketer had also practiced with the team ahead of the Australia ODI series but he is yet to be fully fit.