According to recent reports, Indian team management and selectors have raised concerns regarding Hardik Pandya’s fitness ahead of the T20I series against Afghanistan. Pandya was not picked in the T20I squad for the Afghanistan series after he suffered a fresh leg niggle.
The star all-rounder hasn’t played any professional cricket since the end of the IPL 2026. Pandya scored 206 runs in 10 matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.25.
Furthermore, he could only picked up four wickets in 10 games at a high economy rate of 11.42. Thus, he could not deliver consistently for the franchise and failed to lead from the front.
The all-rounder was recovering from a quadriceps injury at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence, but a fresh injury has further delayed his comeback.
“Hardik Pandya’s fitness remains a concern for the team management. Reports say he can’t bowl more than five-six overs in ODIs. Hardik is crucial for the ODI World Cup, but his fitness continues to be a headache for the team management and selectors,” Dainik Jagran’s post mentions.
“On Thursday, in Mumbai, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia will hold a meeting with Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and Head Coach Gautam Gambhir. VVS Laxman, Head of National Cricket Academy (NCA), may also join this meeting,” the report adds.
The report further added that Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar wasn’t aware of Bumrah’s injury ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka. Auqib Nabi Dar was later named as Bumrah’s replacement after the ace pacer was ruled out with a knee injury.
“Just days before selecting the team for the Sri Lanka tour, even the Chief Selector didn’t know that Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t fit. He had even sent an email about this,” the report states.
The report said that Bumrah, Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy will undergo match simulations on 9th September.
“On the 9th, it will be known who among these four can play against Afghanistan. Bumrah, Washington, and Reddy will undergo match simulations on the 9th.”
Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy’s selection is subject to fitness clearance for Afghanistan series.
