New Delhi: Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss the group-stage matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda, which started on December 21 across various venues in India. As per the Cricbuzz report, Hardik will join the team for the knockout matches of the ODI tournament.
“He will play from the knockouts; he has informed us” said Kiran More, a member of the Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) of the BCA. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) and the national selection committee have made it clear that every player must play in the domestic tournament.
Pandya has not participated in any non-T20 official match in the last 14 months. He last played in a non-T20 match during the 2023 ODI World Cup on October 19 against Bangladesh in Pune. He suffered an ankle injury during the match and stayed away from competitive cricket for a long time.
Pandya’s participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy could play a crucial role in his selection for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Andhra all-rounder Nitish Reddy is also in contention for the role of pace-bowling all-rounder in the Indian team. Nitish has impressed with his all-round performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Pandya has played 38 T20 matches including IPL, internationals and domestic since his injury. Many experts and fans are assuming that the all-rounder has shifted his focus completely on the shortest format of the game. His participation in the domestic 50-over tournament will depend on Baroda’s qualification for the knockouts.
“He participated in all the SMAT matches, and he will play in the 50-over games too. Baroda performed well in the SMAT, reaching the semifinals, which they lost due to wet conditions in Bengaluru. Hopefully, the team will make it to the knockouts of the VHT as well” said Kiran More as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 Groups
Group A – Assam, Gujarat Haryana, Jharkhand Goa, Manipur, Odisha, Uttarakhand
Group B – Andhra, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Railways, Rajasthan, Services, Sikkim
Group C – Arunachal Pradesh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Mumbai, Nagaland, Punjab, Puducherry, Saurashtra
Group D – Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha
Group E – Baroda, Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura
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