The absence of Hardik Pandya from India’s white-ball teams since the IPL has been conspicuous and a talking point, more so during the tour of the UK, where India lost the T20I series against Ireland and England, and the ODI series against England.
He will continue to be on the sidelines in the coming weeks as well after not being named in the squads for the Asian Games and the ODI and T20I series against West Indies.
After India beat Afghanistan 3-0 in the T20I series in Delhi, India head coach Gautam Gambhir recently spoke about Pandya’s absence in the past few months and his omission from the home white-ball matches against West Indies.
Why is Hardik Pandya not playing?
Hardik has missed all cricket action since the conclusion of the IPL 2026 in May. He has been undergoing rehab at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. During the IPL, Hardik complained of back spasms, and later on he picked up a leg strain during training at the CoE.
When will Hardik return?
Hardik’s comeback date to international cricket is unclear yet. The BCCI is gradually making him return to action, as he has been named in the India A squad that will host Australia A for three One-Day matches from October 6 to 11 in Puducherry.
If Hardik proves his fitness – more than form – during those three List-A fixtures against Australia A, he would likely be named in the India squad for the white-ball matches in New Zealand. Starting October 22, New Zealand will host India for a five-match T20I series, which will be followed by a five-ODI series.
We don’t want to push Hardik Pandya into international cricket: Gautam Gambhir
Reflecting on Hardik’s importance in the ODI team, Gambhir explained that the selectors won’t rush Pandya back into international cricket as India prepare for the 2027 World Cup.
“We know how important seam-bowling all-rounders will be in a year’s time when we go to South Africa, and the more the merrier. And once Hardik comes back, obviously, it’s going to be good,” Gambhir said in Delhi.
“But again, Hardik, at the moment, if he cannot bowl ten overs and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL, we don’t want to push him into international cricket, because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well.
“So if he plays that India A series [vs Australia A], he’ll get some game time as well. And that was the clear message to him: if he can play that A series and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20s and the one-day squad [for New Zealand tour] as well.”
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been groomed as the backup to Hardik, though Reddy himself has had injury issues in the past year. Reddy bowled impressively against Afghanistan in the T20I series, finishing as the highest wicket-taker of the series: 6 wickets in 3 T20Is at an average of 13.16 and an economy rate of 8.77 rpo.
Reddy was withdrawn from the Asian Games squad and named in the India squad for West Indies ODIs, with both these events clashing.
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