All-Rounder Similar to Hardik Pandya needs to be in for India’s Pune Test

Venkapathy Raju, former Indian cricketer, wants the team to have an all-rounder like Hardik Pandya for the second Test match against New Zealand. He also brought down some questions about the willingness of Pandya to mark his return in red ball cricket, as he has been out of Tests for a long time.

India lost the first match against New Zealand by 8 wickets, which allowed the team to make many unwanted records. As the pitch was favouring the pacers, Raju said that it is necessary for India to have an all-rounder like Pandya in their Test squads.

Venkapathy Raju talked about the absence of Hardik Pandya from the team’s Test squad for a long time. He said that,

Hardik Pandya is there, but is he willing to play red-ball cricket? Is he ready for Tests? I don’t think he wants to. If he’s available, it’s a huge plus for the team. A fast-bowling all-rounder eases the captain’s burden. You get an extra fast bowler and a batter at the same time.

Currently, the Indian team has two all-rounders in the squad, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. But both of them are spin all-rounders, due to which the team needs an all-rounder like Hardik Pandya for the tests.

Hardik Pandya Like Options

The Indian cricket team currently doesn’t have various options apart from Hardik Pandya, who could help the team with the bat and fast-paced bowling. Although Nitish Kumar Reddy, who recently made his debut has impressed the fans in the series against Bangladesh, it is unclear whether he’ll take up the role and responsibility of pace bowling all-rounder.