Hardik Pandya to make Test comeback with New Zealand series in October? Instagram post with red ball goes viral

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Hardik Pandya is done with his vacations, and seems to be slowly returning back to action. The 30-year-old is not in India but he is back on the field, and has started training ahead of the T20I series against Bangladesh which kicks off from October 6.

The star all-rounder has been constantly sharing pictures and videos of him sweating it out on the field, understandably in the UK. The flamboyant videos of Hardik are always exciting to watch, however the series of Instagram Stories posted by him on Thursday (September 12) has garnered extra attention, and generated a huge curiosity.

Hardik Pandya posted a picture of him bowling with the red ball used in Test cricket. He captioned the picture, "At it.". The picture was followed by two videos in which the medium pacer was seen bowling full-throttle on the green top under overcast conditions.

Will Hardik Pandya make a Test comeback?

Newly-appointed India head coach Gautam Gambhir has made it clear that the best players of the team should play in all the formats.

"I'm a very strong believer in one thing, that if you're good, you should be playing all the three formats," Gambhir had told Star Sports in his first interview since being appointed as head coach of the Indian team.

"I've never been a big believer that injury management, you get injured, you go get recovered -- as simple as it gets. Injuries are part of a sportsman's life. And if you're playing all the three formats, you get injured, you go back, get recovered, but you should be playing all the three formats," Gambhir had added.

Hardik Pandya played in the T20I leg of the Sri Lanka tour, but did not participate in the following ODI series. Once the T20I series was over, Gambhir urged the players not part of the ODI set up to maintain their fitness, and not take things for granted during their time away from the game.

The Baroda cricketer has adhered to the instructions. Will he also play Test cricket in Gautam Gambhir's regime? The possibility cannot be ruled out, since India are gearing up for a 5-match Test series in Australia where a pace-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya can make a huge impact for India, and can act as a game-changer for the balance of the team down under.

Shardul Thakur was one player, who could have played the role of a makeshift fast-bowling all-rounder, but he is out of the reckoning. Shivam Dube, another option for the role, is yet to make his Test debut, and also hasn't bowled much in International cricket.

India have faced the same problem in their two WTC final in the UK where a fast-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya is a boon. The third WTC final will be played at Lord's in London, and India would look to cover that aspect if they qualify for the summit clash.

Hardik Pandya might just be gearing up for a return to Test cricket ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The three-match home series against New Zealand in October can act as his comeback series. Also, the third round of ongoing Duleep Trophy 2024 matches start from September 19, Hardik can make himself available to feature in one of the four teams.

The upcoming few weeks will certainly answer all the queries which the red-ball posts of Hardik Pandya have generated.