Kiran More, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and the former chairman of the senior selection committee, who, a few days back predicted a Test call-up for Hardik Pandya has put his weight behind Pandya in his defence in front of those posting questions over his selection in the Test squad as he said “He definitely deserves to get picked. His chances of playing in the XI isn’t that bright, but he is picked in the team to be groomed for the future. If we can have a seaming all-rounder as the third or fourth pacer and No. 7 batsman who could come and score a hundred, it will only benefit the team,
“Hardik is a batting all-rounder and only time will tell you how much he can improve if he is given a chance. He has been training under me since his childhood days and I can tell you that this guy has a bright future,” Kiran More added.
Pandya’s selection in the team comes as a surprise as he does not have any credits behind his back to justify his selection in the team but selectors think that he is the best all-round player present in the country at the moment. They are looking for a Kapil Dev in him, the reason why he has been given a maiden go in this format of the game.
More continued to praise Pandya and said “In his comeback series against New Zealand, Pandya looked different. He had a very decent India A tour to Australia, where he batted and bowled with a plenty of vigour,”.
This comment from More can be countered as Pandya could just take 4 wickets in four games before being dropped for the final game. On Australia A tour, he scored just 47 runs in five innings and could just scalp five wickets in seven matches. In the two-match unofficial Test series that followed, he scored 86 runs including a fighting knock of 79 runs which was the only bright spot for him on the tour.
Also, he has just played 16 first-class games so far and was also struggling to make it to the playing XI of Mumbai Indians squad in IPL 2016.
The general public is still to figure out what went in favour of Pandya but yes, they will back in their homes if Pandya performs well in the Test series. However, for a performance like Kapil Dev is still a dream for Pandya. It’s a bar which so far from Hardik Pandya.