Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta on Tuesday (February 2) said Hardik Pandya has been added to the national squad for the upcoming home Test series against England for a “very specific reason”- to monitor his progress as an all-rounder.
He further pointed out that India has numerous all-round options in R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and Akshar Patel for the home Tests and Team India might not need Pandya but when it comes to overseas Tests, the all-rounder becomes 10 times important for the side.
Considering the fact that India has a very good chance of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, Dasgupta said India added Pandya to the squad for the upcoming four-Test series against England to make sure that the all-rounder’s progress is monitored as a bowler.
Dasgupta told on Sports Today: “One of the reasons he is there is because there is not much domestic cricket happening right now and whatever has been announced is predominantly white-ball cricket. Hardik becomes very, very important when we start traveling outside.
At home you might not feel his importance as much because you have a spinning all-rounder in Ashwin, Jadeja will be back, Washington Sundar is in, Axar is there but his importance increased 10 folds when you start traveling.”
He further added, “There is a huge England series coming up, there is a very, very good chance of India qualifying for the World Test Championship finals, that's where I think Hardik will be very important.
I think his inclusion in the squad is to make sure that his progress is monitored as a bowler. So, I don't think we will see him in the first Test but I think he is there for a very specific reason, to monitor his progress as an all-rounder, as a bowler.”
Noteworthy, the 27-year-old Pandya hasn't played a Test match since September 2018 and a lower back injury has kept him from bowling in the white-ball formats as well lately. He wasn’t also picked for the recent Test series in Australia.
(With India Today Inputs)
