Cricket“I hope he is listening”- Ganguly appeals India star after WTC loss
It’s been 10 years since India has won an ICC title, recently, the team also lost the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, but former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has been quick to comment on the team’s future, especially in Test cricket, and ask people not to jump to conclusions. While India fought back on the third and fourth days at The Oval after trailing heavily on the first two days, they were dismissed in the first session of the final day and lost the match by 209 runs.
Former Skipper shows faith in team
Ganguly still has faith in the Indian team and believes that it will surely bounce back better and stronger. He said, “No matter what is the outcome of the match, India will always have a flourishing pipeline of players who are ready to take the team forward in test cricket. Don’t jump to conclusions with just one defeat, India will always have brilliance, and I don’t think it is time to look beyond Virat or Pujara, Virat is just 34”.
He further said, “India has ample reserves of many players who showed many significant performances. If we stick to Test cricket, then I don’t consider IPL performances. There are many great players in domestic cricket, and we will only know when you give them a chance. Be it Jaiswal, Patidar, Easwaran, Shubman Gill is young, Gaikwad, and I hope Hardik Pandya is listening, I want to see him playing Test cricket, especially in these conditions”.
Pandya hasn’t played any test after 2018
Following a back injury in the 2018 Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya took a break from cricket. He has been one of the best all-rounders in limited-overs cricket since the start of 2022. In this period, he has led the Indian T20 and ODI teams to victories, and last year he led the Gujarat Titans to win the IPL title, and he led the team to the finals this year as well. Although he has been leading the teams well in the limited-overs format, he has yet to make a return to Test cricket since his injury in 2018.
Pandya has scored 532 runs in the 11 tests he has played, which includes four half centuries and one century. He also took 17 wickets, that includes a five-wicket haul as well. In an interview, the 29-year-old was seen saying that he would grind, work hard and will soon make a comeback to Test cricket.
