India’s Test cricket team has been lacking the services of a seam-bowling all-rounder since Hardik Pandya opted out of the format due to injury concerns. While Shardul Thakur has made attempts to fill the void, he has yet to make a significant impact. The absence of a player of Hardik’s caliber was felt by the sub-continent team in the first innings of the World Test Championship Final against Australia at the Oval.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain raised the question of Hardik’s whereabouts during the commentary. “Where is Hardik Pandya?” Hussain inquired.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting revealed that Hardik Pandya was approached to make himself available for the one-off Test in the WTC Final, but he declined. Pandya believed it would be unfair to the players who had been part of the team’s journey throughout the WTC cycle to join the squad only for the final match.
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“Due to his physical condition, he is not ready to play Test cricket. However, when reminded that it was just one game, his response was as expected. Hardik mentioned that it wouldn’t be fair to the players who had contributed to reaching the final,” explained Ricky Ponting.