India have suffered yet another blow to their ODI squad ahead of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. After Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the series, which is set to begin India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, to be held in South Africa.
Indian Cricket Board sources have told media that Hardik is suffering from a quadriceps injury which will take three weeks to heal. Pandya had injured his back during the Indian Premier League 2026 while playing for Mumbai Indians. The MI captain only played 10 matches in the tournament and was away from the team for the final games of the league stage.
Pandya was at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to get clearance for the back spasm injury that he sustained in the IPL while playing for Mumbai Indians. It is learnt that the new injury could be a result of him bowling his full quota of 10 overs at the CoE during the assessment.
"With three weeks for recovery, there is absolutely no chance of him playing the ODI series as his rehabilitation will not be complete," said a BCCI source.
Pandya's injury adds another layer of uncertainty to the Indian team, who are already without the services of Virat Kohli. The talismanic India batter was injured in the IPL final against Gujarat Titans, when he pulled his hamstring while batting. Apart from Kohli, there is uncertainty around the availability of former India captain Rohit Sharma as well, who struggled with fitness in the IPL months.
While Yashasvi Jaiswal has replaced Kohli, the BCCI are yet to announce a replacement for Hardik Pandya or, for that matter, confirm his injury.
The ODI series against Afghanistan begins on Saturday in Dharamsala, followed by games in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and 20 respectively.
Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
Source: India Today