"That thing is almost written in stone" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning to the Test team

Aakash Chopra has said he is unsure if excellent performances in the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka will help Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya regain their places in the Indian Test squad.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya were left out of the Indian squad for the World Test Championship final and the five-match series against England. However, the duo will be seen in action in the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked by a fan if Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya can be seen in the Indian Test team if they perform well in Sri Lanka.

The cricketer-turned-commentator responded that he was not entirely convinced it would happen. Chopra explained why Pandya might not get an immediate callback in the Indian Test team:

"I don't know, yaar. Hardik Pandya has made it very clear that he is not going to bowl in Test cricket at this point in time. Hardik's name will not come in Tests unless he bowls, that thing is almost written in stone although he has a Test century as well. But then if he is not bowling, you won't play him, you will play a proper batsman, maybe a Hanuma Vihari or someone else."

BCCI:- “Hardik Pandya is still not in a position to bowl. The experiment of selectors to keep him during England Tests and prepare him with bowling workload has failed miserably. He will henceforth not be considered for Test cricket".

— CricTwig (@crictwig) May 8, 2021

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Bhuvneshwar Kumar was also not left out of the England tour due to fitness-related concerns. He said:

"You did not leave Bhuvneshwar Kumar out because there was an issue with his fitness. There were reports that he doesn't want to play Tests but he denied that and said that he wants to play."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been prone to injuries of late. The Indian selectors and team management might not have been convinced about his ability to bowl expanded spells at this moment.

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"I will once again have Bhuvneshwar Kumar in my thoughts for South Africa" - Aakash Chopra

Bhuvneshwar Kumar last played a Test match in January 2018

Aakash Chopra added he would want Team India to keep Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their scheme of things for their Test trip to South Africa. He observed:

"If we talk about Bhuvneshwar and see where the next tours are, I will once again have him in my thoughts for South Africa. Before that, the matches that are there in India, you won't play him in those. You could have probably taken him to England but you didn't take him there."

The 43-year-old signed off by stating that the decision to include Bhuvneshwar Kumar would not be based on his performances in Sri Lanka. Chopra elaborated:

"Next is South Africa, I will definitely have him in my thoughts, whether he does well here or not. He will do well, but just in case he doesn't, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's caliber, pedigree and talent are not dependent on a few games. If you have to get him, it is a strategical and tactical decision, which you can definitely make."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up ten wickets in the couple of Tests he played in India's last visit to South Africa. However, his selection for the tour might be subject to him proving his fitness in first-class cricket.

India tour of South Africa3rd Test@Johannesburg, Jan 24-27 2018India won the toss & elected to bat first#India 187 & 247#SouthAfrica 194 & 177 (73.3ov, tgt 241)India won by 63 runsMOM - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND)#SAvsIND pic.twitter.com/H8acyqB1K1

— Osanda Pradeep 🇱🇰 (@osa10001) January 27, 2018