Hardik Pandya delights fans by hinting at return to Test cricket in Chennai; see pictures

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has established himself as the team's premier fast-bowling all-rounder in recent years. The 27-year-old has showcased his prowess across formats with match-winning performances. The youngster had to be on the sidelines after sustaining a lower-back stress fracture and also had to undergo a surgery because of the same. Having finally made his much-anticipated return to the national side in white-ball cricket during the Australia series, the player is gearing up for his Test return as well. 

India vs England 1st Test: Fans elated as Hardik Pandya prepares for a comeback in red-ball cricket 

After being ruled out for over six months, the talented cricket ultimately returned to competitive cricket with the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. Playing for the Mumbai Indians franchise, Pandya enthralled the fans with his swashbuckling batting throughout the season. However, it is worth mentioning that he did not bowl in the tournament, and was primarily used as a batsman by the five-time champions. 

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The star all-rounder was also included in the Indian squad for their white-ball matches in Australia, where also he made it to the playing eleven as a pure batter. Fans were thrilled after Virat Kohli tossed the ball to the player during the second ODI of the series but it proved to be a one-off incident. The flamboyant all-rounder is a part of the India squad for England Tests 2021 and could make his return in red-ball cricket after a considerable absence. He also shared pictures from his training session ahead of the series opener, and his fans were left mighty pleased as they await his return in Test matches.  

It was also speculated during India's Australia tour that the dashing cricketer could stay back for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after his heroics in the limited-overs matches. However, Virat Kohli had made it clear that is essential for the player to resume his bowling in-order to play in the longer format. It remains to be seen if Hardik Pandya is included in the opening Test match at Chennai, as with the ICC T20 World Cup coming up, the team management will look to manage the cricketer's workload efficiently.

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India vs England live streaming details 

The two cricketing giants will meet at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, February 5, for the opening Test of the four-match series. The India vs England 1st Test will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network in India from 9:30 AM (IST). The India vs England live streaming will also be made available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. 

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India squad for England Tests 2021: Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Hardik, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur.

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Image source: Hardik Pandya Twitter