Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was spotted working hard during Team India’s training session ahead of the fourth and final Test against England at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Hardik is part of India’s Test squad for the ongoing 4-match series but hasn’t yet got a game against the Joe Root-led side.
Hardik has been warming the bench since the start of the current Test leg, but that has not stopped the all-rounder from taking part in some intense practice sessions. Last week, Hardik shared a series of posts on his Instagram story where he can be seen sweating out with the Indian cricket team’s fielding coach R Sridhar.
In one of the videos, the Surat-lad displayed his tremendous fielding skills by plucking a spectacular catch on the boundary rope. Hardik grabbed a one-handed stunner while his body was still in the air just a few inches away from the boundary line.
Here is the video:
@hardikpandya7 #hardikpandya #INDvENG #TeamIndia #ViratKohli @BCCI #hardikpandya #fan Hardik pandya ♥👑 pic.twitter.com/AU8m6FEr3K
— 𝙅𝙄𝙏𝙀𝙉𝘿𝘼𝙍 𝙋𝘼𝙑𝙄𝙔𝘼 (@Jitendar_Paviya) February 28, 2021
The 27-year-old last bowled in international cricket during a One Day International (ODI) fixture against Australia last year. Before that, he did not bowl a single ball in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Mumbai Indians (MI).
Hardik is still working on finding his rhythm with the ball for India after recovering from a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, the Baroda cricketer has been bowling in the nets for the Virat Kohli and Co. in the ongoing series.
Speaking about the final fixture of the Test series against England, the chances of Hardik’s inclusion in the India XI are pretty less, considering the pitch in Ahmedabad has been supporting the spinners. Further, Team India would not like to change the winning combination from the third Test.
In the third Test, India outplayed England and defeated them by 10 wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. Now, they need either a draw or a win in the final contest to secure a berth in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC).
