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India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has surprisingly been ignored for the upcoming T20I assignments. On Saturday, June 6, Hardik Pandya missed out on selection in India’s squad for the upcoming England and Ireland tours as well as the Asian Games in 2026.
The Indian national cricket team is all set to play three T20I matches in Ireland, five T20I matches in England and then travel to Japan for the Asian Games 2026 under the leadership of new captain Shreyas Iyer.
Ajit Agarkar reveals why Hardik Pandya was left out of India’s T20 squad
There were some fitness and form concerns about Hardik Pandya after Mumbai Indians’ poor IPL 2026 campaign. Even BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia has confirmed that the star all-rounder is already at the BCCI Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, which had raised serious concerns as soon as the T20 squad for the overseas tours was announced.
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Well, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has explained the reasons behind the decision to rest Pandya for the upcoming T20 matches against Ireland, England and the Asian Games.
Agarkar said that the Indian team management and selectors want Hardik to focus on ODI cricket and stay fit for the ICC World Cup 2027. Since Hardik has not played much 50-over cricket recently, the team management wants him to get back into rhythm and manage his workload as well.
We can always bring back Hardik Pandya: Ajit Agarkar
The chief selector further said that the decision gives young players like Nitish Kumar Reddy a chance to gain experience in T20I cricket and hinted that Hardik could be brought back into the T20I squad later if needed.
Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference: “With regard to Hardik, he is part of the one-day squad for Afghanistan right now. As we said, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket – I don’t think he has played one-day cricket for a while – that is, at the moment, the main objective.
We can always bring it back. It also gives us an opportunity to give a player like Nitish Reddy some opportunities in T20 cricket. Therefore, there will be a little rest and rotation as far as T20 cricket is concerned.
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Ajit Agarkar reveals India’s big World Cup plans for Hardik Pandya
The selectors believe that Hardik is a very important player as he provides balance with both bat and ball. And Agarkar said his main goal is to keep him fit, bowl regularly and perform well in ODI cricket as he figures in his plans for the ICC World Cup 2027.
He concluded by saying, “The main objective is to see if he can start playing well and stay healthy for 50-over cricket with the World Cup still being about a year and a half away. He gives us a lot of balance. The World Cup is in South Africa and if he bowls well enough, we will assess how we proceed over the next few months.”
On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has also been rested for the upcoming Ireland and England tours to manage his workload, but he will be available for the Asian Games 2026.