Hardik Pandya hasn't played for India since the 2026 T20 World Cup final.
Hardik Pandya's injury nightmare continues as fresh setback has ruled him out of the upcoming India A fixtures against Australia A.
The ace all-rounder, who hasn’t played competitive cricket ever since the end of IPL 2026, has been diagnosed with a symptomatic right tibial bone stress response, Cricbuzz reported.
According to the report, scans have confirmed that there is no structural bone damage or established stress fracture. However, the injury to his right shin necessitates careful management, with such problems usually taking around four to six weeks to recover from.
Pandya has currently been advised two weeks of rest by the medical team, followed by supervised rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
The latest injury has completely derailed Hardik’s long-awaited competitive comeback. He will miss India A’s three 50-over matches against Australia A in Puducherry scheduled for October 6, 9, and 11.
Considering the mandatory rest period and subsequent rehabilitation timeline, it is highly unlikely that Hardik Pandya will travel for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand beginning October 22.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir recently emphasised the critical importance of game time for Pandya to get back into rhythm ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Missing these 50-over games presents a major hurdle for India's tactical planning.
“Very few teams have a player like that who can bowl 10 overs for you, plus bat at number six or seven, plus with that impact. So the focus right now is just that,” Gambhir told JioStar.
“He needs game time as well. Because after the IPL he hasn’t played a lot of cricket. So if the focus is only that he has to play the 50-over format, then he might be short of cricket. So sometimes you will also think that in T20 cricket, if he plays a bit of T20 cricket, then plays One Day cricket because game time going into the World Cup is going to be extremely, extremely important. You cannot go there half-cooked,” the coach added.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)