Batting legend Ricky Ponting believes India should have selected Hardik Pandya for the World Test Championships (WTC) final against Australia in London, citing his all-round abilities as the deciding factor in the one-off game.
Pandya has not played a Test match since 2018, and he has chosen to sit out the five-day format due to ongoing fitness concerns.
Ponting, on the other hand, believed Pandya could have played in the winner-takes-all match at The Oval from June 7-11. Primarily because he bowled in almost every game of the recently concluded IPL for Gujarat Titans, which he captains.
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“I thought about the other day for India in this game is how valuable someone like Hardik Pandya could be in a one-off Test match,” Ponting wrote for the ICC Review.
“I know he is on record saying that the Test match game is probably a little bit hard on his body. But for a one-off game… he’s been bowling every game through this IPL and he’s bowling quick.”
“He (Pandya) could be that X-factor there just to pick in a one-off game, come in and see what he can do with bat and ball. He could be the difference between the two teams,” Ponting added.