From national duty to father duty: Hardik Pandya meets son Agastya after return from Australia
Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya played a match-winning role for the country in the recently-concluded T20I series against the Australian cricket team. Pandya won the Man of the Series for his brilliant performances in the game's shortest format.
Unfortunately, Hardik Pandya's back issues have not helped him reach his full potential. The selectors did not name him in the squad for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship series against Australia.
However, former Indian skipper Virender Sehwag speculated that Hardik Pandya might have asked the team management not to name him in the Test squad.
The Mumbai Indians star has now flown back to India, reuniting with his wife Natasa Stankovic and son Agastya Pandya. Hardik Pandya shared a picture on Instagram, informing his fans that he was focused on being a father.
Why did Hardik Pandya not earn a place in the Indian Test squad despite being in top form?
Hardik Pandya has been in red-hot form in the limited-overs format. He had a memorable IPL 2020 season with the Mumbai Indians in the United Arab Emirates, and the Baroda-based player carried his form into the series against Australia.
The Indian all-rounder was the best batsman for the visitors in the 3-match ODI series. In the subsequent T20I series, he played a game-changing knock to help the Men in Blue take an unassailable lead.
While Hardik Pandya is not 100% fit, he still managed to destroy the Australian bowlers on their home tracks. Many fans feel that Pandya deserved a place in the Indian Test team. However, the cricket universe needs to understand that the all-rounder is more critical to the Indian cricket team in the white-ball formats.
There is no other player like Hardik Pandya in the Indian team at the moment. Even if the all-rounder did not bowl in the Test series, he would have fielded for an extended time. A more prolonged innings with the bat would have also taken a toll on his back. All things considered, the team management took the right call to keep him out of the Test squad.