Hardik Pandya, India all-rounder, said it would be ethically not right on his part to take up a spot in a possible World Test Championship squad of India. Since September 2018, Pandya has not played Test cricket for the country. Due to constant injuries, he has been limited to only playing white-ball cricket.
However, with India qualifying for the World Test Championship, Pandya was reportedly asked at the pre-match press conference ahead of the first ODI against Australia (at The Oval) if he would be willing to don the whites again for the one-off match. The all-rounder was fast to rule himself out for the Ultimate Test.
Against Australia, the opening game of the ODI series will be the first time Hardik will captain India in the 50-over format. However, on numerous occasions, he has already led the side in T20Is. For the first game of the series, India will be without Rohit Sharma. For the remaining two games, the regular skipper is set to return.
At the top of the order, Sharma’s absence in the first ODI also leaves a gap. In the 50-over format in 2023, Shubman Gill’s dream run has made him one of the first names on the team sheet. He will be partnered by Ishan Kishan. He will be at the Wankhede today, as confirmed by skipper Hardik.
The last time Kishan opened in the 50-over format (against Bangladesh), he smashed a double ton (210 off 131 balls).
Keeping the Cricket World Cup in mind, the series also provides both teams with the opportunity to test themselves against each other.
Organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men’s national teams. Having won the previous edition in 2019, England is the defending champions.
