Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the India vs Afghanistan ODI series, and the latest injury makes him uncertain for the UK tour, too. On June 10, in an unexpected turn of events, it was reported that the star all-rounder had sustained a leg sprain, which ruled him out of the 3-match ODI series entirely.
There are no official details about Hardik Pandya’s injury that he received ahead of the India vs Afghanistan ODI series. The next day, it can take Hardik Pandya about 3 weeks to regain his 100% match fitness.
When will Hardik Pandya return to action?
India is scheduled to face England from July 1 for a 5-match T20I series, followed by a 3-match ODI series, after the ODI series against Afghanistan and Ireland, respectively. If the reports are to be believed, then the pace bowling all-rounder could miss the England series as well if he remains unfit to play.
It will take Hardik Pandya 3 weeks to be back with 100% fitness
— Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) June 11, 2026
England's call is likely to be Subject to Fitness
Previous reports suggested that Hardik Pandya, who suffered a back spasm during the IPL 2026 season, and went to the board’s Center of Excellence (CoE) to prove his fitness, was about to join the team for the ODI series against Afghanistan in Dharamshala. When Pandya’s return with the National side was almost confirmed, a leg strain took the momentum away from him instantly. According to ESPNCricinfo, Hardik has suffered a leg strain this week while training at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
As Pandya, an experienced pace bowling all-rounder and season campaigner, has been ruled out for the upcoming few matches, Nitish Kumar Reddy is the only person left in the present squad for the same role. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce Pandya’s replacement; it will be interesting to see who is going to take Pandya’s place for the Afghanistan series. Shivam Dube is another one who can do both seam bowling and explosive batting cameos.
In another surprising move, Pandya, who played a pivotal role behind Team India’s two T20 World Cup-winning campaigns, is not selected for the upcoming T20Is. The Men in Blue are scheduled to play T20Is against Ireland, England, and in the Asian Games 2026, respectively.
While the selectors were announcing the teams for the upcoming T20Is, chief selector Ajit Agarkar provided an explanation for why they left out a proven match-winner like Pandya. According to Agarkar, in the lead-up to the ODI World Cup 2027, they aim to keep Hardik Pandya fit.
"He is a part of the one-day squad right now for the Afghanistan series. Like Jasprit Bumrah, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket - he hasn't played much ODI cricket for a while - that is the main objective," Agarkar told the media.
"We can always bring him back. So there will be a little bit of rest and rotation about T20 cricket in Pandya's case," he added.
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