Hardik Pandya to miss out the second Test in Bangalore

As Team India gears up for the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore after suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the Australians in the Pune Test they are looking at two or three different team combinations. One among them involved allrounder Hardik Pandya. But skipper Virat Kohli talking to the media in the pre-match press meet said that he has a niggle and that would keep him unavailable for the game.

Pandya was with the Indian team during the England series as well but after the second Test at Vizag, he was released from the squad since he suffered a hairline fracture in his right shoulder. He recovered and rejoined the Indian team for the limited-overs leg of the tour. The allrounder then played the two warm-up games for India A against touring Bangladesh and led the team against the Aussies.

Once he was not picked in the starting XI for the Pune Test the team management decided to release him and he joined the Baroda team that was playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He did well for them in the last game against Punjab picking three wickets that helped Baroda beat a heavy Punjab team and enhance their chances of advancing in the tournament.

With the Bangalore Test around he once again flew from Delhi to the city and is with the Indian team now but skipper Virat today said, “Hardik Pandya has a shoulder niggle, he’s not available for selection. All the rest are fit and available.”

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Team India will not only want to make a change or two in the playing XI for the match but also reconsider their strategies given the Aussie batsmen played really well against the spin twin of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja while the third spinner Jayant Yadav was little effective and the chances they created were grassed more often than held.