Will Hardik Pandya be considered for selection in near future?
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya hasn't had a joyous ride in international cricket of late. He has been playing as a specialist batter in the Indian side. Pandya, the all-rounder, didn't justify his selection in the 2021 T20 World Cup. As per recent reports, he has told the selectors that he will be unavailable for selection in near future. Times Now reported about the development.
Why does it matter?
Pandya recovered from his lower-back injury last year. He has played as a pure batter ever since. The all-rounder hasn't bowled for his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians too. Pandya has played only white-ball cricket even though he was in the squad for the England Test series. Ahead of the T20 WC, it was reported that the Indian selectors are unhappy with the one-dimensional Pandya.
Pandya's numbers since January 2020
Since January 2020, Pandya has smashed 572 runs from 23 international games at an average of 38.13. He has taken mere seven wickets in this phase. Pandya's graph plunged in the Indian Premier League. In the 2020 edition, he racked up 281 runs at 35.12. He mustered only 127 runs in the 2021 IPL season. Pandya didn't bowl at all in both editions.
Pandya didn't fare well in the 2021 T20 WC
Pandya scored just 69 runs from five matches at 34.50 in the 2021 T20 World Cup. He bowled only four overs across two matches. Pandya registered figures of 0/23 and 0/17 against Afghanistan and New Zealand, respectively.
What about Test cricket?
Pandya was a mainstay all-rounder for Team India until 2018. However, he was dropped from the Test fold due to fitness issues. Pandya last played a Test in August 2018 when India toured the UK. In a career spanning nearly six years, Pandya has played only 11 Tests. It remains to be seen if he gets picked for the South Africa tour.
Pandya has this unique record in Test cricket
Pandya is the fastest Indian to take a five-for in Test cricket (in terms of balls). He took just 26 balls to do so in the third Test against England in 2018. Pandya also became the joint-fourth-fastest with a hundred and a five-for (Tests).
