Hardik Pandya Set To Play For Baroda In VHT Knockouts

Hardik Pandya is not part of the Baroda team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), which began on Saturday (December 21) across India. The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has informed that the all-rounder will join the team during the knockout phase if Baroda qualifies.

BCA On Hardik's Availability

"He will play from the knockout matches; 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 (BCCI) and the national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, have made it clear that every cricketer must participate in domestic competitions unless the player is exempted. Hardik Pandya recently played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Tournament, where his team Baroda reached the semi-final rounds. Pandya smashed 246 runs in 7 matches & picked up 6 wickets.

Pandya (31) has not played a non-T20 official match for nearly a year. His last appearance in a non-T20 match was in the ODI World Cup on October 19, 2023, against Bangladesh in Pune, where he suffered an ankle injury and remained on the sidelines from competitive cricket. Pandya has also stopped playing red-ball cricket.

Pandya's participation in the one-day domestic championship could play a crucial role in his selection for next year's Champions Trophy, especially with the Indian team unearthing a potential like-for-like pace-bowling option in Nitish Reddy. The Andhra allrounder has excelled with his skills and temperament with an impressive all-around performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia.

Since his injury last year, Pandya has played 38 T20 matches, including internationals, IPL, and domestic games, but none in other formats. This has made the competition even more fierce Pandya has been playing in domestic tournaments for quite some time now. If Baroda qualifies for VHT knockouts it'll be an added boost for Baroda with Hardik Pandya at their disposal.

Former Chief Selector on Pandya

"He participated in all the SMAT matches, and he will play in the 50-over games too. Baroda played well in the SMAT, unfortunately, they lost to Bengal due to wet conditions in Bengaluru. But I hope that Baroda performs well in the VHT too," said the former India chief selector.

Coincidentally, Baroda will host the VHT knockout rounds from January 9, with the final scheduled for January 18.

Baroda, led by Krunal Pandya, Hardik's brother, is competing in Hyderabad currently. Placed in Group E, they will face Tripura, Kerala, Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi in the league stage.