New Delhi (TIP): All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s absence from the Indian national team is set to enter its fifth month. The all-rounder has sustained a fresh injury to his right shin and is set to be ruled out of the white-ball tour of New Zealand.
Pandya’s ‘Return To Play’ date was set for September 20 and, accordingly, the selectors picked him for India A for the upcoming One-Day series against Australia A, starting October 6. The all-rounder, however, will now be ruled out of the tour of New Zealand, which starts on October 22. India are playing five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests in the bilateral series.
“This is very unfortunate but Hardik’s latest scan reports have revealed an injury to his right shin. He has been advised complete rest for a period of two weeks. BCCI’s medical panel head Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala has seen his reports and on his return from Japan, will assess him and decide on when he can start his rehabilitation,” a BCCI source tracking COE developments told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Hardik Pandya last played a competitive match in the Indian Premier League on May 24. Since then, he has missed the home series against Afghanistan (ODI + T20I), the tour of Ireland and England, and is in line to miss the home ODI series against West Indies as well. The fresh development only adds to that list.
It is understood that the BCCI wanted Pandya to travel with the squad to Japan for the Asian Games and the BCCI’s operations team had taken his passport for visa-related work.
However, just before the start of the Afghanistan T20 series, he suddenly developed a shooting pain around his knee while doing his fielding drills. He took a break and decided to take a few days’ rest. However, just as he was ready to get a fitness certificate, the pain resurfaced and scans revealed that there was an injury. The 32-year-old Pandya has been based in Bengaluru since the end of the IPL and now trains at the Centre of Excellence after relocating to the Garden City.
But over the course of the last four months, at least thrice, during the Afghanistan ODIs, England T20Is and now Australia A, the all-rounder has suffered a fresh niggle that has proved to be an impediment to his comeback.
With the New Zealand series also out of his way, Pandya will now have to wait for the Zimbabwe ODIs in January 2027 if he is fit to play, or perhaps check his fitness in the Vijay Hazare Trophy or Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
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