'I am game at any position where the team management would want me to bat as and when I get an opportunity to play Test cricket.'
All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is waiting for his Test debut, is confident that he can bat at any position as and when he gets an opportunity in the five-day format of the game.
Hardik is a part of the Indian Test squad for the first two matches.
"I can bat at any position. I have no preferences as far as batting order is concerned. No 6, No 7... I am game at any position where the team management would want me to bat as and when I get an opportunity to play Test cricket," Pandya said in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Hardik was seen generating considerable pace on a two-paced track at the Karnail Singh stadium in New Delhi, where he made a few deliveries fly off the pitch.
"I am much more fitter and stronger this season and that's showing in my bowling. My pace has increased by a few yards and also I have worked on different kinds of variations. My bowling makes me confident. I have got a lot of support from the team management as well as India 'A' coach Rahul Dravid," Hardik said, as he was leaving for Bengaluru to join the Indian team for the second Test.
The young all-rounder was released by team management to get some game time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he played three games with mixed results. He got five wickets but managed only 20 runs.
"I feel my time with the Indian team has helped me mature as a cricketer. I feel more confident now. There is nothing better than game time. It's always good that you are out there in the middle playing a match. It only helps that you are match ready and can get into the groove whenever you are required," the Baroda all-rounder said.
Image: Hardik Pandya.
Photograph: BCCI
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