Out of favour Hardik Pandya who last played for Team India in 2021 World T20 has now decided to not play in the Ranji Trophy as well which starts on 10th February.
The Baroda-based cricketer who was under rigorous rehabilitation was missing from the 20-member list that the Baroda Cricket Association announced ahead of the first phase of the tournament. The all-rounder has decided to miss the 2022 season to prepare for his India comeback.
Also read: Ticket booking for 2022 T20 World Cup open, India vs Pak sold out in minutes
The 28-year-old suffered a back injury in 2019 and since then despite the surgery, his career has plummeted. The player who was once indispensable to the Indian team has missed the New Zealand series at home and the South Africa trip, he is also not a part of the Indian squad against West Indies in the ongoing home series. Interesting move from, Pandya as the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly recently asked Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane to play Ranji trophy in order to regain lost form.
Hardik however is gearing up for a comeback in IPL 2022, he has been picked as the skipper for the Ahmedabad IPL team.