Hardik Pandya is not playing Test cricket mainly because of long-term back and fitness issues, and a conscious decision by him and the BCCI to focus on white‑ball formats where he is more valuable and manageable workload‑wise.

Fitness and back injury issues

  • Pandya has had recurring back problems since early in his international career, including surgery, which make the sustained workload of bowling long spells in Tests very risky for him.
  • He has openly said that after his back surgery, playing Test cricket is a “challenge” and that he has to protect his body because of his importance in white‑ball cricket.
  • As a result, he has not played a Test or even regular first‑class cricket since 2018, which practically rules him out of serious Test consideration.

Role shift to white‑ball specialist

  • Pandya and team management have effectively repositioned him as a white‑ball all‑rounder, prioritising ODIs and especially T20Is, where his power‑hitting and 3–4 over spells are game‑changing without overloading his body.
  • Reports and interviews indicate he has “accepted” that he is not eligible for Tests at the moment because he cannot handle four‑ or five‑day cricket physically.

Selection and workload management

  • BCCI and team management have been carefully managing his workload, even limiting his ODI appearances in some phases to keep him ready for major T20 tournaments like World Cups.
  • Former players and officials have also suggested that, given his injury history, pushing him into Tests again could shorten his overall career, so selectors prefer to preserve him for formats where India get maximum value.

What experts and ex‑players are saying

  • Ex‑India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has said he does not expect Pandya to return to Tests because his body “doesn’t allow” four‑ or five‑day cricket and he hasn’t even played domestic red‑ball games needed for a comeback.
  • R Ashwin has mentioned that Pandya has himself accepted that he isn’t in a position to play Test cricket right now, reinforcing that this is more a fitness and role decision than just selection preference.

TL;DR

Hardik Pandya is not playing Test cricket because his back and overall fitness cannot reliably handle the demands of long-format fast‑bowling all‑rounder work, and both he and the management have chosen to keep him as a white‑ball specialist rather than risk his body in Tests.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.