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Hardik Pandya is the new enigma in Indian cricket. After the legendary Kapil Dev, the country’s best seam bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is currently at a unique stage in his career.
On Sunday, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the team for the ODI series against England, there was no sign of Hardik Pandya. There has been no statement from the board on why Pandya is not in the team, due to which the situation has become more critical.
Hardik Pandya: A closed chapter in Indian cricket?
BCCI gave the reason for dropping this all-rounder before the ODI series against Afghanistan, but there is silence before the United Kingdom tour.
This silence has raised many questions about Hardik Pandya: Why was he not selected for the UK tour? What is his current fitness status? Was the board removed as part of workload management, or did they simply remove the star indicating a possible move? There are many questions that have not been answered.
According to media reports, Pandya is still in BCCI’s Center of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. Pandya first went to the COE due to back spasms, which he suffered during the IPL 2026 season with Mumbai Indians.
When will he return to action?
If previous reports are to be believed, the 32-year-old was on the verge of getting the necessary clearance for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. But his form suddenly deteriorated due to a recent injury. His return has been delayed due to a quadriceps strain.
“Hardik experienced minor/low-grade tenderness in the foot on June 9. As a precaution, he voluntarily underwent a foot scan. The scan was sent to Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala in Mumbai, who advised him to take 4-5 days of rest followed by a three-week training program to get back to full fitness. He resumed light training on June 16,” sources told Cricbuzz.
Hardik Pandya is working hard to recover from the injury and he may regain his fitness by the first week of July before the first ODI against England. There have been several instances where fitness testing of players nominated by the selectors has been done.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pandya’s successor?
Virat Kohli, who is suffering from a hamstring injury, has been named for the ODI series against England on the basis of his fitness. According to Cricbuzz report, if the selectors wish, they can do the same for Hardik Pandya as he is expected to regain full fitness by the first week of July. In Chennai, Team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was asked about Pandya. He mentioned emerging fast bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy in a similar segment to Pandya.
“When Hardik is fit, he obviously brings a different element because he is such a strong batsman, such a strong finisher. It is difficult to find a finisher who can also give you the overs. So all those guys are tracking really well. As I said with Nitish (Reddy), over the last 18 months, he has shown glimpses of how important he can be to this team, especially in this format. I think his body is getting stronger and stronger. And I think he’s the natural successor to Hardik.” The coach mentioned.
