Reports | Hardik Pandya to retire from Test cricket
According to reports, Hardik Pandya is all set to announce his retirement from Test cricket due to his back injuries that have kept him out of bowling action in recent years. Recently, it was reported that Hardik had asked the selectors to not consider him for the India tour of South Africa.
Hardik Pandya has been a hot topic of discussion since India's squad selection for the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2021. The 28-year-old was named in the squad as an all-rounder, but he could not contribute to the national side as a bowler. Pandya only bowled twice in India's five games in the marquee event and went wicketless in both matches. Pandya's inability to bowl had raised questions over his spot in the Indian cricket team. Recently, Hardik was released by his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians, ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022.
The Indian allrounder has been having persistent back issues and underwent surgery before he made his comeback to the team in 2019. Since his return to competitive cricket, Pandya has been playing as a specialist batsman for Team India. The back injury also kept him away from the Test team since 2018.
However, according to reports by InsideSport, Hardik is considering his retirement from Test cricket due to back injuries, and to concentrate on white-ball games for India. Reports suggest that the all-rounder has informally informed the BCCI about his decision, and is yet to make an official announcement regarding his retirement from the longer format of the game.
“He has been struggling with injuries for a while and although he hasn’t informed us officially, he is considering Test retirement. It will help him keep his focus on white-ball cricket. He was anyway not in our plans for Tests. It will be a great loss for sure but we have to prepare backup,” a top BCCI official told InsideSport.
Hardik has scored 532 runs, and has scalped 17 wickets from 11 Test matches for India.
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