Hardik is all set to miss the match against England in Lucknow on October 29.
The all-rounder sustained an ankle injury during India’s match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. Subsequently, he missed out on the last fixture against New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 22.
Hardik is all to miss the game against England in Lucknow on Sunday (October 29) as well since he is still recovering from the injury at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.
While the BCCI is yet to share a detail on Pandya’s return, a report published in RevSportz claims that the all-rounder has made significant progress.
Initially, it was feared that Hardik Pandya may have suffered an ankle ligament tear but the report suggests that it is rather an ankle ligament damage.
Much to the relief of the Indian fans, Pandya has also resumed his batting and gym at the NCA. He faced a throwdown specialist without pads on Friday (October 27).
A day later, Hardik faced the bowling machine for nearly 20 to 30 minutes. Following his batting session, the multi-skilled cricketer spent around 20 minutes in the gym.
According to the report, the swelling around Hardik Pandya’s injured ankle has reduced completely and he is expected to be cleared of his fitness in the next 4-5 days. His return to bowling is expected to happen next week (by November 2).
As the star all-rounder continues his rehab, the team management is focused on his long-term well-being and not looking to rush him into the playing XI.
Hardik Pandya is likely to miss the match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on November 2. As a precautionary measure, he might also sit out versus South Africa in Kolkata on November 5 but is expected to return to action in India's final league stage fixture against Netherlands in Bangalore on November 12.
On the eve of the England clash, India wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul addressed a press conference, where he confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav will continue to bat for India at No. 6 in Hardik’s absence.
"Hardik has been a very important member of the team .. so not having him is also a bit of a miss for the team. Surya will probably get his chance and we know what he can do. So our confidence is in Surya till Hardik comes back," Rahul told reporters.
In Hardik’s absence, India dropped all-rounder Shardul Thakur from the playing XI against New Zealand. Instead, the team management opted to go with a specialist batter in Surya and specialist pacer in Mohammad Shami, who took a five-wicket haul and earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
(RevSportz Inputs)