Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya must receive medical clearances from the team physios within the next two weeks to secure their places in India's ODI squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series.
While both players have been named in India’s 15-member ODI squad, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that their final inclusion relies entirely on fitness updates.
Rohit suffered a right hamstring injury during the early phase of IPL 2026. While the veteran opener returned to action, he was primarily used as an Impact Player. He is yet to prove his match fitness for high-speed running and full 50-over fielding requirements.
On the other hand, Hardik has been sidelined with severe lower-back stiffness and back spasms. The all-rounder has not played competitive cricket since the start of this month, while his last ODI appearance came on March 9, 2025, against New Zealand during the ICC Champions Trophy Final in Dubai.
Pandya’s ability to manage high-volume bowling loads remains a major hurdle. While he successfully manages his quota in T20 cricket, transitioning to ODIs requires significantly more physical endurance.
“I mean, sometimes the player knows whether he can play through it or not. I wouldn’t be able to tell you, sitting here, whether they are playing through niggles or not. You certainly want them fit when they come and play or represent the national team, but that’s an area of expertise for the trainers and the physios who kind of give me the feedback of where a player is at,” Agarkar said during the squad announcement presser.
If the medical team reports in two weeks reveal that either player has not met the fitness benchmarks, the selection committee will officially name replacements.
“I’m not an expert in that area. If they tell me a certain guy’s fit, I’ve got to trust that, that person when we pick them, and maybe in two weeks’ time, if we are told that those two guys haven’t quite made it fitness-wise, we take a call accordingly. But at this point, I’ve been told that they are on track and we’ll perhaps assess it. Now, whether they’ve been playing with something I’m not sure, I go by what the physio tells me, and I have full faith in what the Indian physio tells me,” Agarkar added.
Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia admitted that the board has limited power to intervene in franchise affairs during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
His statement came amid a growing "club vs country" debate after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fielded Varun Chakaravarthy despite a reported hairline fracture in his left foot.
Despite the injury, the mystery spinner was brought back for KKR’s must-win fixture against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens on May 16. He visibly struggled and hobbled through his entire 4-over spell.
Saikia confirmed that while Centre of Excellence physios monitor workloads, IPL franchises maintain operational autonomy over player fitness.
“So far as IPL is concerned, franchises take care of the injuries and fitness of the players. Of course, physios from COE are also monitoring them, workload as well as planning on how to keep them fit," Saikia said while speaking to the media.
“The monitoring is there, but when IPL is going on, we can’t interfere too much. Had it been an Indian team situation, our control would have been more. Now we are giving freedom to franchises to take a call on the players," he added.
