Sport
India’s Hardik Pandya ruled out of Afghanistan ODI series with injury
The injury is expected to keep the 32-year-old out of action for several weeks, ruling him out of the ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on Saturday in Dharamsala.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reportedly been ruled out of the upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan after sustaining a quadriceps strain.
The setback comes just after Pandya had received clearance to resume playing following a back spasm injury that sidelined him during the Indian Premier League (IPL) while representing Mumbai Indians.
According to Indian media reports, Pandya was undergoing fitness assessments at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru when he suffered the new injury. The quadriceps strain is believed to have occurred while bowling during his rehabilitation and fitness tests.
The injury is expected to keep the 32-year-old out of action for several weeks, ruling him out of the ODI series against Afghanistan, which begins on Saturday in Dharamsala.
“With three weeks for recovery, there is absolutely no chance of him playing the ODI series as his rehabilitation will not be complete,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying.
Pandya had missed several matches for Mumbai Indians during the IPL season due to his back issue before returning for the team’s final league match against Rajasthan Royals on May 24.
India and Afghanistan are scheduled to play three ODIs, with the opening match in Dharamsala followed by fixtures in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and June 20, respectively.
Pandya’s absence is a blow to India, with the experienced all-rounder considered a key figure in both the batting and bowling departments.