WTC final: Will Hardik Pandya Play in ICC WTC final 2023? He responds: The clarity of Hardik Pandya’s thoughts is what stands out to you most about him these days. Pandya was asked if he would be interested in playing for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final match against Australia at The Oval in June. This was just before Pandya took the reins as India’s captain for the first time in an ODI match against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium.
Veteran cricketers, including Australian great Shane Watson, have been discussing Hardik Pandya’s return to Test cricket, particularly for the WTC final where India will also be without the services of Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian all-rounder finally spoke out on the return of Test cricket on Thursday.
Hardik provides the exclusive option for India’s pace-bowling all-rounder under English conditions. The 29-year-old, however, has excluded himself and stated that it would not be ‘ethically right’ for him to be included in the squad. Hardik clarified that he only intends to join the team after earning the slot.
The India star hasn’t played in the red-ball format since 2018 due to his struggles with a back injury, which also caused him to miss more than six months of white-ball cricket.
So the Australian veteran Shane Watson was found quoting “If his body can handle the rigors of Test cricket then absolutely. He has got incredible skills even with his batting alone. Bowling-wise, if he is fit he charges in and he has got great skill. He can swing the brand new ball away and he would provide a huge impact on the Indian Test team. For me it eventually comes down to his body and whether it can handle the rigors of playing Test cricket as a fast-bowling all-rounder. I would love to see him push the limits as an all-rounder and cricketer when it comes to playing all formats of the game because he is one of the special talents in world cricket.”
Although Hardik did not say no to the Test format, he said “I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot than claim someone else’s place.”
He said, “No. I am ethically very strong person. I haven’t done 10% to reach there. I am not even a part of the 1%. So me coming there and taking someone’s place will ethically not go well. If I want to play Test cricket, I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot. Hence, for that reason, I will not be available for the WTC final or future test series until I feel that I have earned my spot.”
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