‘T20 captain se T20 khela nahi jaa raha ab…’ – Fans react as Kapil Dev backs Hardik Pandya to play Test cricket for India
Hardik Pandya has not played a Test for India since 2018
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Aug 16, 2023 3:06 pm
Kapil Dev (Source: Twitter)
Hardik Pandya has been one of the finest All-rounders in cricket since 2016. The star cricketer has been a mainstay in the Indian cricketer for a long time, especially in the shorter formats of the game. But the 29-year-old has not played enough Test matches in his career till now, owing to injuries. As a result, India looked for spin-bowling all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests.
Hardik has played 11 matches in Test cricket till now. The star all-rounder has 532 runs in the longest format of the game, at a batting average of 31.29, including 4 fifty and a hundred. With the ball, he has 17 wickets at a bowling average of 31.06 including a five-wicket haul. But the star all-rounder has not played a Test match since 2018, which is a very long time.
‘If he is fit, he should play test cricket’ – Kapil Dev on Hardik Pandya
The former Indian captain Kapil Dev recently talked about Hardik Pandya’s role in the Indian side. The former World Cup winner felt that Pandya has one of the fittest bodies and should play Test cricket for India. “Hardik Pandya has one of the finest bodies we have in the country. If he is fit, he should play Test cricket also, but it doesn’t look like he’ll play” said Kapil in an interview.
Kapil Dev was one of the fittest cricketers of his time. In his career of over 16 years, Dev never missed a Test due to an injury, which is a tremendous feat for a pace bowler. The only time Kapil did not play a match, it became a controversy, and the captain Sunil Gavaskar was criticized for dropping the star player. The former Indian all-rounder understands the fitness of the players well.
The cricketer from Haryana felt that Hardik should play Test cricket, which is not happening. When India tours conditions like South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia, Pandya becomes an essential factor in the team. In the upcoming days, the Indian T20I captain might well be preferred to be in the Test team.
