CricketPonting believes Pandya Would have been a great asset for India in WTC final
With IPL 2023 over, now cricket fans don’t have to wait to see Team India in action, as the World Test Championship final is beginning on June 7 in London, where India will be playing against Australia. India has selected many strong players for the finale. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, who are two of the best all-rounders, are also included in the team and will play a crucial role in the match. However, former Australian batting legend Ricky Ponting feels that Hardik Pandya should have been picked by Team India for the WTC final.
Ponting’s ICC review column
In his ICC review, Ponting wrote that Hardik Pandya’s all-round abilities could have turned out to be the deciding factor in the match, and he could be a valuable asset for the team. He said that even though test cricket would be hard on his body, he bowled regularly in the IPL 2023 and was quick too. Pandya has not played a test since 2018, and due to fitness concerns, he decided to take a break from the five-day format. But Ponting believes he would be the X factor for the team if he played this match.
Ponting wrote, “I thought about the other day that in this game how valuable someone like Hardik Pandya could be in the test match for India. I know he is on record saying that the test match is a little hard on his body right now. But for one game, he’s been bowling every match in the IPL, and he is bowling quick. He could be the difference between the two teams”.
I will earn the spot through grind- Hardik
Till now, Hardik Pandya has played 11 tests in which he has made 532 runs, which includes a century and four half centuries, and he has taken 17 wickets in 19 innings since his debut in 2017 against Sri Lanka. In the 74 ODIs he has played, Hardik has scored 1584 runs and taken 72 wickets, In T20s, he has scored 1271 runs in 87 matches, and the bowling records read 69 wickets.
In one of the interviews, Pandya was seen saying that it would be ethically wrong for him to take somebody’s place in the test without doing enough. He also said that “I’ll go through the grind and earn my spot, so for that reason I will not be available for the WTC final or any future test series until I have earned that spot.
In the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship, which was held in 2021, team India reached the finals and played against New Zealand, but they lost the match and ended up being runner-ups. This year also, the team has earned a spot in the final, and this time they will be facing Australia in the five-day match.
