Robin Uthappa, the ex-Indian cricketer, elucidated his perspective regarding the Hardik Pandya's potential return to Test matches. He claimed that Pandya has the potential to return and that the position of number 7 would be a perfect fit for him. This was discussed by Uthappa on his YouTube channel.
Uthappa mentioned that if Pandya is willing to play Test matches, then the Indian cricket board (BCCI) will hardly barr him. Moreover, he suggested that Pandya's present fitness and appropriate workload management render him the player who can perform at the topmost level. Uthappa narrated, “If Hardik Pandya decides he wants to play Test cricket, will the BCCI stop him? If he says, ‘I will play... I will win the World Test Championship,’ I don’t think the BCCI will say no.”
Uthappa further brought up the matter of the all-rounders' workload in the Indian Test squad. He stated that the present all-rounders do not bowl for long periods. “Are the all-rounders bowling 20 overs? Nitish Kumar Reddy isn’t bowling that many overs. He’s bowling around 12 overs,” he remarked. He continued that considering his fitness, Pandya could bowl 12 to 15 overs per innings, but the ultimate decision is for Pandya to make.
Hardik Pandya's last participation in Test and first-class matches was in 2018. After that, he had to restrict himself to the limited overs purely for the reason of his back injury. A comeback in Test would mean a return to the red-ball cricket world after a 5-year-long hiatus for the player.
