Even as Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been struggling to overcome troubles from his long-standing back injury, a report has claimed that he is considering retirement from Test cricket in order to prolong his white-ball career.

Hardik Pandya only bowled twice in India’s five World Cup matches and went wicketless in both. He was also recently released by his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming mega auction. The report claimed that Hardik Pandya has already informally informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about his decision and that he would soon announce his retirement from the longest format of cricket.

A top BCCI official was reportedly quoted as saying by InsideSport, “He has been struggling with injuries for a while and although he hasn’t informed us officially, he is considering Test retirement. It will help him keep his focus on white-ball cricket. He was anyway not in our plans for Tests. It will be a great loss for sure but we have to prepare backup.” The all-rounder has scored 532 runs in the 11 Test matches he played for the country, and has taken a total of 17 wickets.

The official added, “He is just 28 and it is definitely going to be a big miss if he does take a final call on quitting Test cricket. He has been one of the best all-rounders India could ever produce. But we need all-rounder Hardik back in limited-overs with two World Cups in the next two years. His return to bowling will be more important.”