‘I want him to play Test cricket’ – Former Indian skipper’s bold statement on Hardik Pandya after India’s loss in WTC final 2023

India has not won any major title in the last 10 years, but still, the former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly has urged not to draw conclusions on the basis of their performance after their loss against Australia in the second edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Sunday, June 11 at The Oval, in London by 209 runs. Ganguly asserted that regardless of the WTC result, India will remain the strongest team in the longest format of the game in the near future.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions due to just one loss, India will always have talent. And I don’t think it is time to look beyond Virat (Kohli) or (Cheteshwar) Pujara. Virat is just 34. India has enormous reserves. When you look at some of the performances. I don’t consider IPL performances if we are sticking to Test cricket,” Ganguly was quoted as saying on India Today.

I will earn my position and then come back: Hardik Pandya

“In domestic cricket, there are some fantastic players and you will only find out when you give them opportunities,” Whether it be Jaiswal or Patidar, Abhimanyu Easwaran from Bengal scores a lot of runs. Shubman Gill is young, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and I hope Hardik Pandya is listening. I want to see him play Test cricket, especially in these conditions,” the former Indian Cricket Board President asserted.

Hardik Pandya has made a brilliant comeback after recovering from a back injury that he sustained during the 2018 Asia Cup. He is performing exceedingly well in the white ball format since 2022. He has evolved as a great skipper in the shortest format of the game as he led Gujarat Titans to their maiden title in their debut season in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL).

“If I want to play Test cricket, I will go through the grind, I will earn my position and then come back. For that reason, to be very honest, I will not be available or play the World Test Championship Final, or any future Test matches until I feel that I have earned my spot,” Pandya was quoted as saying before the WTC final 2023