Hardik Pandya like all-rounder called for in Indian team before New Zealand Pune Test

Former India cricketer Venkatapathy Raju wants India to have a fast-bowling allrounder like Hardik Pandya in Test cricket. Raju has also questioned Pandya's willingness to play red-ball cricket in the future.

The former India left-arm spinner also spoke about the first Test between India and New Zealand at Bengaluru. He expressed his surprise towards Rohit Sharma's decision to field just two fast bowlers in the match.

The pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was conducive to fast bowling throughout the match. In total contrast, the spinners from both teams had one of their worst Test matches in India.

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Venkatapathy Raju wants India to have a fast-bowling allrounder in the Tests

During an interview with TOI, Venkatapathy Raju stated that India are missing a fast-bowling allrounder in Test cricket. He claimed that India might have a no. of spin bowling all-rounders but they still lack a pace bowling all-rounders at the moment.

“India are missing a fast-bowling all-rounder. A fast-bowling all-rounder plays a huge role in the team. We have spin all-rounders like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, (Ravindra) Jadeja, and Washington (Sundar), but not a single fast-bowling all-rounder. I was surprised India picked only two fast bowlers for the Bengaluru Test,” Raju said.

Over the years, India have struggled for a fast bowling allrounder after the retirement of the legendary Kapil Dev. Irfan Pathan arrived on the scene for a brief period but constant fitness issues did not allow him to play Test cricket for a long time.

In the Bengaluru Test, India played just two frontline quicks in the form of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. While Bumrah was brilliant, especially in the second innings, he lacked support from the other end as Siraj had a disappointing match.

Despite the pitch offering assistance to fast bowlers, Rohit Sharma decided to play just two fast bowlers and played Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Akash Deep. The move backfired as Bumrah was left with too much to do on his own given Siraj's poor returns.

Venkatapathy Raju questions Hardik Pandya's intentions towards Test cricket

Venkatapathy Raju further questioned Hardik Pandya's intentions to play Test cricket. He also spoke about the advantage of having a fast-bowling all-rounder in the team and how it eases a captain's job.

“Hardik Pandya is there but is he willing to play red-ball cricket? Is he ready for Tests? I don’t think he wants to. If he’s available, it’s a huge plus for the team. A fast-bowling all-rounder eases the captain’s burden. You get an extra fast bowler and a batter at the same time,” Raju reckoned.

Hardik Pandya is a key part of India's plans in white-ball cricket. However, constant fitness issues have kept him out of Test cricket. He played his last Test match way back in 2018.

Other options for fast bowling allrounder

Apart from Hardik Pandya, there aren't many options available currently for the role of a fast-bowling all-rounder. The Indian team management is viewing the youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy as a future option for the role and it remains to be seen how he responds to the pressure and grind of a pace-bowling allrounder.

Reddy has just played T20I cricket for India so far but does not have a big experience of playing first-class cricket. However, he has all the potential to become a star in the future. The 21-year-old has also been added in India A squad for the tour of Australia to play two unofficial Tests against the hosts.