India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was cleared to play just hours ago, was ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan on Wednesday due to a new quadriceps injury.
Pandya was in Bengaluru at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence to receive treatment for a back spasm he suffered while playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
It has been discovered that he bowled the entire 10-over quota at the CoE during the assessment, which may have caused the latest injury.
The ODI series against Afghanistan starts on Saturday in Dharamsala. On June 17 and 20, respectively, there will be matches in Lucknow and Chennai.
“With three weeks for recovery, there is absolutely no chance of him playing the ODI series as his rehabilitation will not be complete,” PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.
After missing a couple IPL games for MI, Pandya made a comeback on May 24 for the team’s final game against Rajasthan Royals.
The 32-year-old all-rounder is being encouraged to play more ODI cricket in preparation for the ODI World Cup next year, which coincides with his most recent injury setback.
During a first-round match against Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pandya suffered a left ankle injury that changed the team’s balance.
Pandya is still a key component of India’s preparations for the major tournament in South Africa in 2027.
Despite playing in two World Cup-winning campaigns, Pandya was benched from the Indian T20 team in order to keep him match-fit for the upcoming ODI assignments, which are three each against Afghanistan and England next month.
“He is a part of the one-day squad right now in (the) Afghanistan (series). Like (Jasprit) Bumrah, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket – I don’t think he’s played one-day cricket for a while – that is the main objective,” chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar had told reporters last week.
“We can always bring him back. So, there will be a little bit of rest and rotation with regards to T20 (in Pandya’s case),” he had asserted.
