Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India’s Test squad for South Africa series?

Dixit Bhargav | 13/09/2019
Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India's Test squad for South Africa series?

Hardik Pandya not part of India’s Test squad: The Indian all-rounder has not been included in the Test squad for South Africa series.

The Indian selection committee had announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa yesterday. Among the two major changes from the team which toured West Indies last month was opening batsman Lokesh Rahul and fast bowler Umesh Yadav getting dropped for uncapped batsman Shubman Gill.

Limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who didn’t get to play any Test in West Indies, is all set to open the batting in the first Test starting from October 2 in Visakhapatnam. The move has it in it to allure plentiful attention towards the 32-year old cricketer.

Why is Hardik Pandya not part of India’s Test squad for South Africa series?

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who last played for India during the ICC Cricket World Cup, not finding a place in the Test squad despite being injury-free has come as a surprise for his fans.

While Pandya was rested during the tour of West Indies to manage his workload, him being included for T20Is against South Africa had given signs of his inclusion in the Test team as well. It is worth mentioning that Pandya had last played a Test during the tour of England more than a year ago.

Speaking during the press conference after announcing the team, chief selector MSK Prasad was vocal about the reason behind not including Pandya. Other than talking about the conditions, Prasad also put light on Pandya’s workload.

“We did not feel the need for a seam bowling all-rounder for home series. Yes, he plays ODIs and T20Is, so it’s a combination of both [conditions and workload],” Prasad was quoted as saying.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Hardik Pandya India MSK Prasad South Africa South Africa tour of India 2019

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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