India’s premier all-rounder in white-ball cricket, Hardik Pandya is set to make his comeback toprofessional cricket, ending a hiatus of over four months since his last appearance, as he’s been named in the India A squad to take on Australia A in three List-A matches.
Hardik, who played a key role in India’s run to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 trophy in February-March, has been out of action since the IPL 2026, when he led another underwhelming campaign of the Mumbai Indians (MI).
As per Cricbuzz, Hardik had checked into the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for back spasms that he sustained during the IPL. It was reported that during his rehab, Pandya is also dealing with a quadriceps strain, causing a longer delay to his comeback.
In the interim, Pandya missed the ODI series against Afghanistan, the entire white-ball tour of the UK, and the tour of Zimbabwe. He has also been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and the following Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
Since he will return in the India A vs Australia A white-ball series next month, he will be unavailable for the three ODIs and at least the first three T20Is against the West Indies at home.
When will Hardik Pandya return?
Pandya has been named in the India A squad that will host Australia A in three One-Day matches from October 6 to October 11. If Hardik is able to prove his fitness, he could potentially return to international cricket in October on the tour of New Zealand.
What is the India A vs Australia A schedule? When and where will the matches be played?
India A will host Australia A for two red-ball four-day games that will be followed by three white-ball One-Day matches. The red-ball series will begin on September 22, and the One-Day series will kick off on October 6. All five India A vs Australia A matches will be played in Puducherry.
The CoE and the BCCI are dealing with Hardik’s fitness with great caution, as he is a crucial member of the white-ball team. With the 2027 ODI World Cup only a year away, Hardik’s fitness remains an important matter for the involved parties.
Devdutt Padikkal has been named the captain of the India A team for the red-ball series, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead in the One-Dayers.
Meanwhile, Hardik’s backup, Nitish Kumar Reddy, is reportedly declared fit for the Afghanistan T20Is. Reddy last played in the ODIs against Afghanistan in June, missing all action since then due to a quadriceps injury.
Also, Washington Sundar, who missed the Test series in Sri Lanka owing to a hamstring injury, is also learned to have attained full fitness and will feature against Afghanistan.
India A vs Australia A squads:
India A squad for red-ball series:
Devdutt Padikkal (C), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Sai Sudharsan (VC), Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, Yash Rathod, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Tushar Deshpande, N. Jagadeesan (WK), Nachiket Bhute, V. Vyshak*
India A squad for One-Day series:
Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya*, Priyansh Arya, Devdutt Padikkal (VC), Rajat Patidar, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Sai Sudharsan, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Gurjapneet Singh, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam
*Subject to fitness clearance
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