Good opportunity to impress selectors: Hardik

Good opportunity to impress selectors: Hardik

PTIUpdated: Thursday, May 30, 2019, 09:10 AM IST
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Mumbai : Ready to wait for his turn to make his debut in Test cricket, India A skipper Hardik Pandya said the warm-up game against Australia from Friday would be a great opportunity for fringe players to impress the selectors ahead of the four-Test series.

“It will be good opportunity for all of us, specially me to perform and get the opportunity to play in the Test series, it will be a good opportunity for the youngsters as well, who are there to show what they have,” Hardik told reporters here.

“We are not treating it as a practice game, it’s an opportunity for all of us to do something amazing and get recognised in the selectors eyes.”

Hardik, who has been dubbed as a limited overs expert, has improved as a seamer and a good show against the visitors may force skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble to keep him in their plans for the first two Test matches.

The Gujarat allrounder has played 7 ODIs and 19 T20s but is yet to make his Test debut despite being picked in the squad against England and Bangladesh. Asked how it has helped him to be a part of the team, Hardik said, “I feel its a learning curve for me, I should be learning lots of things staying with the team and it always helps. I am improving my game day by day. That was the only reason that I thought I made a comeback after a poor IPL. I want to focus on improving my game,” he said.

With Kumble and Kohli backing him as a seam all-rounder, Hardik said it has boosted his confidence.

“Everything comes on the right time. Whenever they feel that I am ready to play Test cricket I will be playing the game. But as I said Test cricket is something amazing to learn, so I am learning new tricks in my game and I am just trying to improve.

“I will be pretty happy if I make a debut (in the series against Australia). As I said opportunity will come when it suppose to come. It is all about process and I am doing it right now,” he said.

The 23-year-old had sustained a hairline fracture on his right shoulder at a net session during the Mohali Test in November and was released from the Test squad against England.

Talking about the injury, he said: “You cannot stop injuries. When I got injured that was not my fault, the ball came and hit me. It was an accident which happened and I got injured. It was not a fitness issue. I have got lot of injuries before as well. It is part and parcel of game.”

Asked if he has any plans for Australian opener David Warner, Hardik said, I haven’t made any plans. They have done a lot of things for their country, we should only look to do what we can do, instead of thinking what they will do. Cricket is a funny game, you score a hundred today and tomorrow you might get out on zero.          —PTI

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