Hardik Pandya is not considering Test cricket as one of the options: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra reveals that Hardik Pandya is currently not considering Test cricket, citing his focus on white-ball formats and ongoing fitness management, which makes his return to the longest format unlikely for the foreseeable future.

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Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya isn’t considering to be a part of the Indian Test squad anytime soon. Notably, Pandya hasn’t been a part of the Indian Test squad for a long time now.

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However, Chopra reckoned that if Hardik doesn’t want to be a part of the Test squad, the BCCI selection committee should look at someone who can be a like-for-like replacement in the longest format of the game.

"Hardik Pandya could have sorted out a lot of things. When he played, he did very well too. I think his body has given up, and he too has decided that this format is not for him. When a player has decided, what you and I think doesn't matter. I think Hardik Pandya is not considering Test cricket as one of the options," he said on his YouTube channel.

"Eventually, it's not about what India need? You also need to think about what the player wants. If the player feels this format is not for him, you have to just respect that and move on. Considering how huge our country is and the number of people who play cricket here, you will have to assume that you have other options. You will find them if you search for them," Chopra added.

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India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

England Test squad for the first Test vs India: Ben Stokes (Captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

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