"I made a comeback after 8 years while Dinesh Karthik made a comeback after 10 years" - Parthiv Patel believes Hardik Pandya could return in Tests

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel believes the door is still open for Hardik Pandya's return to Tests, citing the example of himself and fellow glovesman Dinesh Karthik. Parthiv was a regular in the Indian Test side from 2002 to 2004 but went out of favor with the arrival of MS Dhoni.

He then played a lone Test match in 2008 before returning for the England home series long after in 2016. Karthik suffered a similar fate after playing several Tests from 2004 to 2010 before a hiatus until his return for the England tour in 2018.

Meanwhile, Hardik last played a Test for India way back in the 2018 English tour before injuries played spoilsport to his red-ball career.

In a conversation with IANS, as quoted by NDTV, Parthiv opened up on Hardik Pandya's Test career and said:

"I personally do not see end of the road for any cricketer. I made a comeback after 8 years, while Dinesh Karthik made a comeback after 10 years. So, there is never an end of road for any cricketer as long as they are playing cricket. That is up to Hardik whether he wants to play Test cricket or not."

He continued:

"If he wants to play Test cricket, the Indian selectors and everyone has made it clear that you have to play first class cricket. So, to make a comeback into Indian Test side, he will obviously first have to play Ranji Trophy cricket or first class cricket, so to speak. But there is never end of road, and I don't believe in end of road for any cricketer ever."

Hardik has played only 11 Tests for India from 2017 to 2018, picking up 17 wickets and scoring 532 runs.

He was recently seen bowling with the red ball in a practice session, leading to curiosity about his possible Test return.

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"He has all the variety, and perfection in all of those balls he bowls" - Parthiv Patel hails Jasprit Bumrah's evolution

South Africa v India: Final - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 - Source: Getty

Parthiv Patel hailed ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his evolution over the years to become arguably the world's best bowler across formats.

The 30-year-old is coming off a sensational 2024 T20 World Cup, picking up 15 wickets at an average of under nine and an economy of 4.17 to help India clinch their second title.

"The ability to understand the game and delivering under pressure - that's something which makes him stand apart from anyone else. I've seen him since he's made his first-class debut. He was predominantly just in-swinging bowler. But now you can see how he takes the ball away. He has mastered the yorker length very well, and can disguise it really well with his slower ones," said Parthiv.

He added:

"Plus, he wasn't using bouncer as such, but now he's using that also. So he has all the variety, and perfection in all of those balls he bowls. For me, using those balls at the right point of time, and delivering under pressure, that makes him stand apart from any bowler in the world."

Jasprit Bumrah boasts incredible international numbers with 397 wickets at an average of 21.10, including 12 five-wicket hauls in 195 matches.

He will return to action for the first time since the T20 World Cup in the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting in Chennai on September 19.