Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has on Sunday (December 6) called for the inclusion of the in-form all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the Indian squad for the upcoming four-match Test series against Australia starting December 17 at Adelaide Oval.
His comments came after Pandya’s match-winning unbeaten knock of 44 helped India to win the second T20I game and clinch the three-match T20I series 2-0 against Australia in Sydney.
The right-hander is in brilliant form with the bat on the Australia tour after a fine IPL 2020 campaign, as he amassed 210 runs in the recently concluded three-match ODI series while scored 58 runs in the ongoing T20I series on the ongoing tour.
However, Pandya isn’t a part of India's squad for the upcoming Test series in Australia but Kaif feels this is high time to include the all-rounder in the red-ball squad having impressed with India's go-to batsman’s form in the white-ball game since his comeback.
Taking to Twitter, Kaif wrote, “@hardikpandya7, with an average of nearly 90, has emerged as India's go-to batsman in white-ball cricket, behind @imVkohli. Time is ripe for Hardik to be added to the Test squad, in this red hot form worth holding him back in Australia.”
Meanwhile, Pandya wasn’t sure about his Test inclusion for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy when he was asked about whether he will stay for the Test series at the post-match conference on Sunday.
He told reporters, “It is a different ball-game, I do not mind if they ask me to stay back for the Test matches, the call lies with the team management, I cannot say much about it.”
Noteworthy, Indian captain Virat Kohli will be playing just one of the four Tests before heading home on paternity leave by the BCCI while Rohit Sharma's available for the Test series.
