Hardik Pandya will be considered for India selection when he is 100 per cent match fit: Chetan Sharma

India vs Sri Lanka: Chairman Chetan Sharma said on Saturday that Hardik Pandya will be considered for India selection only if he is 100 per cent match fit.

The Chief Selector of the Indian Cricket Team, Chetan Sharma, has said that the selection committee will consider Hardik Pandya for a comeback to the national side only if he is 100 percent match fit. Notably, Hardik Pandya is not a part of the Indian Test and T20I squads that were announced for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

Hardik, who was drafted by Gujarat Titans as their captain for Rs 15 crore, has not played competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup. Questions were asked about his bowling, as the former Mumbai Indians all-rounder hadn't bowled for MI in IPL 2021 and bowled just 4 overs for India at the T20 World Cup.

"Hardik was definitely a very important part of the Indian team. After these injuries I would say that when we are convinced that he is 100 per cent match fit, ready to go and if he is bowling, he will definitely be considered," Sharma told reporters on Saturday.

After naming the Indian squads for the upcoming T20I and Test series against the Sri Lanka, Chetan Sharma pointed out that the selection committee will give importance to performances in the Ranji Trophy

"You can ask Hardik why he is not playing Ranji Trophy. We are looking at those who are playing the Ranji Trophy and performing there. So we feel happy to watch the competition and see the boys perform," Sharma added.

Bogged down by recurring back injuries, Hardik hasn't been able to bowl consistently, but the all-rounder has taken time off to recover from the setbacks. Having missed the Ranji Trophy campaign for Baroda, Hardik is expected to be back for the Indian Premier League, which is likely to get underway from the last week of March.