Hardik Pandya will play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy from Saturday

A week after Cricbuzz reported that Hardik Pandya is not taking part in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), the all-rounder has changed his mind. The latest from the Baroda camp is that Pandya will play in the 50-over tournament from Saturday (December 28).

The Baroda team, led by Hardik’s brother Krunal Pandya, is currently in Hyderabad and will face Bengal on Saturday. They have played two matches in the domestic one-day competition so far and won both – against Tripura in the first round and against Kerala in the second round. The game against Bengal will be their third round game after a break of five days.

“He had some personal problems and was therefore unavailable for the first few games. He has arrived in Hyderabad and will play tomorrow,” Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) secretary Ajit Lele told Cricbuzz on Friday evening .

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the national selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar have made it clear that every cricketer must take part in domestic competitions unless otherwise recommended or exempted.

According to the original plan, Pandya, who has not played a non-T20 game since injuring his ankle in the World Cup last October, was supposed to take part in the VHT only from the knockout rounds, which incidentally are scheduled to be played in his hometown from January 9. In the last 14 months, Pandya took part in 38 matches, all T20 matches, including internationals, IPL matches and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches.

“He has had some discussions with coach Mukund Parmar and will play from now on,” said Lele. Parmar also confirmed that Pandya will play against Bengal. Other games for Baroda will be against Bihar, MP and Delhi.

Pandya’s participation in the VHT is very important considering the Champions Trophy is on the horizon (in February-March). It is likely that selectors will be keeping an eye on him in Hyderabad too. Pandya (31) featured in seven SMAT matches in which Baroda reached the semi-finals. In these seven matches, Pandya scored 246 runs and took six wickets.