India all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a successful return to competitive cricket as he picked up five wickets in a domestic Ranji Trophy match.
Playing for his state team Baroda to test his match-fitness in red ball cricket as he aims to be available for selection for the ongoing Test series in Australia, Pandya finished with figures of 5-81 from 18.5 overs against a strong Mumbai team.
Pandya picked up three wickets on the first day of the four-day match and picked up two more on Saturday to help restrict Mumbai to 465.
The Baroda all-rounder had earlier stated that he decided to play for his state team in a four-day match as he wanted to test his back, which he injured during the Asia Cup in the UAE in September that forced him out of the side.
“I picked this Ranji Trophy game over India ‘A’, because I want to play Tests,” Pandya told The Times of India. “There is a chance that if I do well and the team requires me, I might be picked for the third and fourth Tests in Australia. I wanted to test my fitness in a four-day game, rather than a One-day, because this would exactly give me an idea of where I stand.”
