Hardik Pandya bowling with red ball triggers speculation over Test comeback

Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Thursday posted a video of himself bowling with the red-ball during a training session in England, triggering speculation over his return to Test cricket.

Pandya bowling with the red cherry evoked a lot of interest on social media after the 30-year-old posted a series of stories on Instagram.

The injury-prone all-rounder hasn't played Test cricket since September 2018 and underwent a lower back surgery in 2019.

He was requested to play the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia but he turned down the offer stating that he didn't want to take the place of a regular red-ball player. He last played a first-class game in December 2018.

Pandya remains India's best pace bowling all-rounder by a distance with the likes of Shivam Dube and Nitish Reddy way behind the colourful cricketer from Baroda.

The videos posted on social media suggest that the all-rounder is trying to ramp up his workload before the Bangladesh T20 series in October but he is yet to intimate the team management about his plans for red-ball cricket.

Pandya has played two competitive games, the T20s against Sri Lanka, since the World Cup final in June.

"It's heartening to know that Hardik is bowling with red ball but has he really spoken to men who matter (chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma) about his intentions?," a senior BCCI source asked.

It is understood that if he doesn't play any domestic red-ball cricket, he can't be directly picked for Test cricket even though he could bring in the required balance in Australia as the fourth pacer and No.7 batter.

Having skipped Duleep Trophy due to workload management, it will be interesting to see if he plays red-ball cricket for Baroda.