India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been away from international cricket for a few months. While he has started training to make a comeback, there has been no official news on his fitness and the fans are waiting to see him back in action. Pandya last played the home T20I series against South Africa. Presently, he is training under Rahul Dravid and his team at National Cricket Academy (NCA) and will continue to be in NCA for a while.
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With the BCCI set to name the squad for two Test matches against New Zealand this week, there are hopes that Pandya might be part of the series. However, BCCI’s President Sourav Ganguly, on Monday, confirmed to media that Pandya is not yet fit.
Pandya will not be part of the Test squad for the New Zealand series, which will mean India will be without a pace-bowling all-rounder once again. As per Ganguly, Pandya needs some time and might now make a comeback for the home ODIs against South Africa.
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At one stage, Pandya seemed to be fit for the home series against Australia but his trainer revealed that he is not fit to bowl.
Pandya was suffering from a back issue and underwent back surgery in the UK. He is expected to make a strong comeback once he is fit. Although the team management and trainer will manage his workload as Team India need Pandya for the twin T20 World Cups that take place in the next two years.
He has developed himself as the best all-rounder and is an automatic selection in the limited-overs team. Pandya is in the scheme of things for Tests too but hasn’t played a Test match since 2018. He was added to the Test squad for Australia series midway but was rested for the West Indies tour after World Cup. He returned for South Africa T20Is but wasn’t a part of the Test series.