CRICKET POLL

Hardik Pandya is not part of the Baroda team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), which began on Saturday (December 21) across various venues. The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) said the all-rounder will join the squad from the knockout stages of the 50-over tournament.

"He will play from the knockouts; he has informed us," said Kiran More, a member of the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) of the BCA.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, have made it clear that every cricketer must participate in domestic competitions unless otherwise advised or exempted. Pandya recently featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), where Baroda reached the semifinals. In seven matches, he scored 246 runs and claimed six wickets.

Pandya (31) has not played a non-T20 official match in nearly 14 months. His last appearance in a non-T20 match was in the ODI World Cup on October 19, 2023, against Bangladesh in Pune, where he suffered an ankle injury and remained sidelined from competitive cricket for an extended period. He has ceased playing red-ball cricket altogether.

Pandya's participation in the one-day domestic championship could play a seminal role in his selection for next year's Champions Trophy, especially with the Indian team unearthing a potential like-for-like pace-bowling option in Nitish Reddy. The Andhra allrounder has excelled with his skills and temperament with an impressive all-around performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia.

Since his injury last year, Pandya has played 38 T20 matches, including internationals, IPL, and domestic games, but none in other formats. This has fueled the perception that he has been focusing exclusively on T20 competitions. Moreover, his participation in the VHT will depend on Baroda qualifying for the knockouts.

More sought to dispel such assumptions. "He participated in all the SMAT matches, and he will play in the 50-over games too. Baroda performed well in the SMAT, reaching the semifinals, which they lost due to wet conditions in Bengaluru. Hopefully, the team will make it to the knockouts of the VHT as well," said the former India chief selector. Coincidentally, Baroda will host the VHT knockout rounds from January 9, with the final scheduled for January 18.

Baroda, led by Krunal Pandya, Hardik's brother, are competing in Hyderabad currently. Placed in Group E, they will face Tripura, Kerala, Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi in the league stage.