Ex-BCCI President Sourav Ganguly backs star India all-rounder to make a Test comeback, calls him an asset
Hardik is an asset in Tests, he must make a comeback, says Ganguly
Former India captain and BCCI boss Sourav Ganguly has backed star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya to make a Test comeback. The newly-appointed interim T20I captain Hardik last played a Test match five years back in 2018 and since then has remained out of contention owing to fitness issues related to back and struggling form. Although Hardik was rumoured to return to the Test setup for the 2023 World Test Championship final earlier, he quashed such talkssaying he isn’t ready for the longer format.
Speaking with Times of India (TOI) recently, Ganguly -Delhi Capitals’ serving Director of Cricket, said he still believes Hardik is an asset in Tests, and for his own legacy, he must return. Calling Hardik a special cricketer, Dada, as most fans call Ganguly, said,
“There will be specialists in T20s. There’s Hardik Pandya although I still feel he is an asset in Test cricket also and he should come back to Test cricket because that’s what he will be remembered for. He is a specialist in ODIs and T20Is. But he is a very special cricketer,” Ganguly told TOI.
Further backing the Gujarat Titans captain to make it big in the leadership role for India moving forward, Ganguly said the results in the IPL cannot be ignored as it is a tough competition.
"IPL is a good breeding ground. We have seen how well Hardik Pandya has captained in the IPL. That’s one of the reasons he has been captaining India in the shorter formats also. You can’t ignore wins and losses in the IPL because it’s a very tough tournament," Ganguly added.
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Meanwhile, sharing his thoughts on money influencing players to pick formats, Ganguly said although he is happy that money has started to flow in sports, he still doesn’t believe that it plays a role for any player to decide which format to play. Ganguly added for every player it’s a dream to play all three formats, and that he is happy to see how hungrier the young guys are.
“I think money has nothing to do with how players play. It’s great that money has come into the sport and that’s how it should be. But I believe the majority of the players want to play all formats as long as they are good. It’s terrific to see how hungry these boys are,” Ganguly added.
As the IPL 2023 is about to begin, Ganguly’s Delhi side will open their campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1st.
