India versus Australia limited-overs series is slated to begin on February 24 with the first T20I of the two-match series scheduled to be played in Hyderabad. The team will then battle out in a series of five ODI matches, which will be Team India’s last international assignment before the commencement of IPL and then the 2019 ICC World Cup.

Team India’s preparation for the limited overs series has now received a set back in form of all-rounder Hardik Pandya being ruled out of the whole series due to lower back stiffness. As many might recall, Pandya had suffered a serious back injury during India’s match against Pakistan in the 2018 Asia Cup, which rendered him unavailable for team selection.

He went through intense rehab and made his comeback on the tour to New Zealand and performed admirably well, bringing much-needed balance in the team. However, the recurrence of stiffness has put a question mark over his fitness for the upcoming assignments.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has announced that left-arm spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will replace Hardik Pandya in the five-match ODI series, while no replacement has been named for the T20I series.