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Team India’s Test squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, as well as the England series, has been announced. Hardik Pandya is one of the prominent names conspicuous by his absence. The all-rounder was part of the Test squad for the home series against England but did not feature in any of the four matches.
The main bone of contention over Hardik Pandya’s Test spot of late has been his inability to bowl following a back surgery, which he underwent in 2019. Team India captain Virat Kohli made it clear when Hardik Pandya was not chosen for the Tests Down Under that the Baroda all-rounder needed to bowl to make it to the Test side.
Former chief selector MSK Prasad also told Sportskeeda that Hardik Pandya shouldn’t be picked for the England tour if he’s not fit bowl.
Would India miss Hardik Pandya, the batsman in England?
While the decision to drop ‘batsman’ Hardik Pandya seems to be a logical one, here are three reasons why India might miss the all-rounder's services in England.
#1 Hardik Pandya could have provided depth in batting
Despite their batting might, India have struggled miserably in Test series in England over the past few years. One of the main reasons behind their failure has been the inability of their batsmen to contend with the challenging conditions.
If one looks at the numbers from the previous tour in 2018, India crossed the 300-mark only thrice during the five-match series. Two of these instances came in the victory in the Nottingham Test.
India’s famed top and middle order kept fumbling time and again. England’s batting too crumbled under pressure more than once, but young Sam Curran pulled them out numerous times with sensible lower-order knocks. So India could have utilised Hardik Pandya in a similar role.
#2 Hardik Pandya could have been used as a floater
There was a time when most teams felt the need for an X-factor only in the shorter formats of the game. But once the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag changed the complexion of the game with their belligerent hitting across formats, aggression has become an irreplaceable part of the longer version as well.
A Jos Buttler or a Rishabh Pant is as important as a Cheteshwar Pujara in a Test squad. When it comes to aggressive batting, Hardik Pandya is one of the best going around. He proved that in the limited-overs matches in Australia that he has significantly improved his batting ability.
Perhaps, India could have used him as a surprise and flexible batting weapon, moving him up the order to attack and unsettle the opposition. That's because Hardik Pandya has already demonstrated the ability to play game-changing knocks in various match situations during his international career.
#3 Hardik Pandya has had experience and success in English conditions
In a marquee series, experience in invaluable. Although Hardik Pandya has only played 11 Tests in a stop-start career in the longer format of the game, he featured in four of the five Tests during India’s previous visit to England.
Significantly, he tasted reasonable success as well. Batting in the lower order, Pandya chipped in with valuable 20s and 30s. He even registered a crucial half-century in the victory in the Nottingham Test, scoring an unbeaten 52 off as many balls in India’s second innings.
In the same Test, he also picked up his maiden Test five-for, the only one of his career to date. Hardik Pandya impressed with 5 for 28 in six overs as England were rolled over for 161 in response to India’s first innings total of 329. Pandya's exploits went a long way in setting up India’s only Test win on that tour.
While Hardik Pandya was not expected to bowl during the upcoming tour even if he was picked, he would have been confident of doing well, given the success he has tasted with both bat and ball in England only three years ago.
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