Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that Hardik Pandya can go on to make his long return to Test cricket in the coming future. He also believes that the all-rounder can be an ideal No.7 for the Men in Blue in the format if he decides to make a comeback.
Notably, Pandya's last appearance in the longest format came back in 2018 against England. Whnile he has been a regular for India in white-ball cricket for several years now, he has only played a total of 11 Tests so far in his international career. The 32-year-old currently has 532 runs and 17 wickets under his name in red-ball cricket for India. The team have explored multiple all-round options in Tests including Shardul Thakur, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar, but still have not found a No.7, who can consistently perform good.
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“If Hardik Pandya returns to the No. 7 spot in Tests, it would be wonderful The way he’s playing, anything can happen. It’s cricket. Never say never. If Hardik decides to play Test cricket, will BCCI ask him not to play? If he says he wants to play and wants to win the World Test Championship, I don’t think they would say no," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Uthappa addresses concerns around Pandya's workload
Uthappa is also confident that Pandya will be able to manage his bowling workload even if he decides to feature in Test cricket once again. He pointed out how modern day all-rounders do not bowl long spells anymore and only bowl 12 to 15 overs in an innings.
“Are all-rounders bowling 20 overs? Nitish Kumar is not bowling that much. He’s bowling around 12 overs. If Hardik bowls 12 to 15 overs per innings, I think he can do it with the way he’s fit now, the way he’s bowling and batting. It’s his own decision,” he added.
Pandya likely to be rested for NZ ODIs
Meanwhile, Pandya is expected to be rested for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand that will commence from January 11 so that his workload can be properly managed ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, he is likely to featue in the T20I series against the Black Caps.