Hardik Pandya to return to Test cricket? Gautam Gambhir clears speculation on fast-bowling all-rounder

India head coach Gautam Gambhir reckons that international cricket is not for the development of cricketers. Instead, he feels that the cricketers need to be developed in domestic cricket before coming into the national team.

Currently, India have one world-class allrounder in the form of Hardik Pandya but fitness concerns have kept him away from the Test team. The former India opener spoke about the issue a day before India's first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.

Also read: "Congratulations for what Bangladesh did in Pakistan, but India is a different team"- Gautam Gambhir's fiery sledge

Gautam Gambhir reacts to India's search for a fast bowling all-rounder

While speaking on the eve of the first Test between India and Bangladesh, Gautam Gambhir was asked about India's hunt for a world-class fast-bowling all-rounder.

Gautam Gambhir reckoned that international cricket is not for the development of cricketers and they must be nurtured in domestic cricket first before being picked for India. He was satisfied with India's current crop of allrounders, who are brilliant but are spin-bowling allrounders.

"First of all international cricket is not about developing. We have been talking about since Kapil Dev. We have domestic cricket to identify them. If we don’t have it, so be it. We also have the all rounders on Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Washington," Gautam Gambhir said.

India have been searching for a fast bowling allrounder for a long time now. Although they have found Hardik Pandya as a match-winner, his consistent fitness concerns have kept him away from Test cricket.

Hardik Pandya's Test record

During the early days of his playing career, Hardik showed glimpses of his talent with the red ball but had to go away from the format because of constant fitness issues which was hampering his participation in the other formats as well.

Hardik Pandya has played 11 Tests so far and scored 532 runs at an average of 31.29. He has scored 1 hundred and 4 fifties in Tests. With the ball, he has picked up 17 wickets at an average of 31.05. It also involves a famous five-wicket haul at the Oval as India completed a famous overseas win.

While Hardik Pandya can be an excellent addition for India in Test cricket, India have mostly done well without his services in the longer format. As mentioned by Gambhir above, India have the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar who are in contention for red-ball cricket.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's excellence with the bat

Ashwin and Jadeja have proved to be the legendary spin bowling duo for the Men in Blue in Tests and have won them a no. of games. In home conditions, they are almost certain to play while in overseas conditions like England, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, one of them gets to play.

Alongside being quality spinners, Ashwin and Jadeja have the ability to score big runs with the bat as well. Jadeja, especially, has developed into a world-class allrounder in the last few years.

Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Axar Patel has also joined this list and has shown his batting credentials in Test cricket. Youngster Washington Sundar hasn't played many Tests but played a key part in India's famous win at the Gabba in the 2020-21 tour of Australia.