Don't believe Hardik Pandya cannot cope with demands of Test cricket, says Kapil Dev

Legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev disagreed with the notion that Hardik Pandya isn’t fit enough to play all three formats and has to sit out of the Tests.

Dev’s comments came after former India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri felt Pandya’s body “cannot cope” with the demands of the five-day format, and that he should focus on becoming the leading India in both white-ball formats instead.

“I respect his (Shastri’s) statement, but why? Nobody has had more breakdowns than Dennis Lillee. So I don’t believe that. Human body can come back from any corner, come back into top condition. If you say Hardik Pandya — who is such a great athlete, looks so good — has to work hard on his body, he has to work hard. His body can’t take it?” 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil told The Week.

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Pandya has had issues with his back and had to spend a considerable time away from the sport after a serious injury during the 2018 Asia Cup, making his return shortly before the 2019 World Cup. The all-rounder has 11 Test appearances to his credit, the last of which was in September 2018 against England.

The Gujarat Titans captain has captained India in a majority of their T20Is since the T20 World Cup last year and is considered the de factor leader in that format even though there hasn’t been an official announcement from the BCCI regarding the same.

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Pandya is also expected to eventually take over ODI leadership from Rohit Sharma in the near future, though it remains to be seen if that succession takes place after the World Cup on home soil later this year.