India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to take retirement from Test cricket to prolong his white-ball career, according to Insidesport. He has already informed the BCCI about his intention but the right-handed batter is yet to make an official announcement.
He last played a Test match in 2018 and since then he has been out of action in red-ball cricket.
“He has been struggling with injuries for a while and although he hasn’t informed us officially, he is considering Test retirement. It will help him keep his focus on white-ball cricket. He was anyway not in our plans for Tests. It will be a great loss for sure but we have to prepare backup,” a top BCCI official told InsideSport.
After his back surgery, Hardik has failed to find his mojo back. In last one year he has bowled just 46 overs in shorter formats. The 28-yera old player was below-par in the last edition of the Indian Premier League and the ICC T20 World Cup.
“He is just 28 and it is definitely going to be a big miss if he does take a final call on quitting Test cricket. He has been one of the best all-rounders India could ever produce. But we need all-rounder Hardik back in limited-overs with two World Cups in the next two years. His return to bowling will be more important,” the BCCI official told InsideSport. He has represented India in 11 Test matches.