Hardik set to miss Australia A one-dayers after fresh injury

The allrounder has picked up a fresh injury in the shin and has been asked to rest for 15 days

Cricinfo staff

Published: Sep 26, 2026, 6:41 AM (7 hrs ago)

India allrounder Hardik Pandya's return to action has been delayed further after a fresh injury which is set to rule him out of the 50-over games against Australia A next month. Cricinfo has learnt that Hardik now has a shin injury and he has been asked to rest for 15 days.

Hardik had been named in the India A squad for the one-dayers starting on October 6 in Puducherry, subject to fitness clearance. That three-game series was supposed to test Hardik's fitness to bowl 10 overs in a game, especially before the tour of New Zealand where India will play five ODIs starting November 4.

It is learnt that Hardik has not been pain-free while bowling and it further extends his absence off the field, which began in May-end during the IPL. He has spent much of the time since then undergoing rehab at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. He suffered back spasms during the IPL and then a leg strain at the CoE in the lead-up to the ODI series against Afghanistan in June.

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Cricinfo has learnt that Hardik experienced pain in his shin closer to selection for the Afghanistan series. Scans, however, revealed a tibia issue and he was advised rest for about a week. On September 17 he took his first fitness test where he bowled, but not the full quota of 10 overs which is considered a mandatory requirement for the CoE medical staff along with the Indian team management and selectors.

During the second fitness test, on September 19, the shin pain resurfaced. After another scan this week, he has been advised complete rest for two weeks which will be followed by another reassessment.

Hardik hasn't played ODIs since the Champions Trophy final in March last year and fitness issues have kept him out of action in the lead up to the ODI World Cup in October-November 2027.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir recently said that both Hardik and Jasprit Bumrah were "extremely important" for the World Cup plans.

"So the focus for us - especially for Hardik, who needs game time as well; he hasn't played a lot of cricket since the IPL - if we talk about 50-over cricket, if we want to play him, he might be short of cricket," Gambhir told JioHotstar. "If he plays a little bit of T20 cricket and then gets to one-day cricket, because game time going into the World Cup is going to be extremely, extremely important. You can't go to the World Cup half-cooked. So you must have enough game time and your rhythm should be good enough, because there are no ifs and buts when it comes to a World Cup. There are no chances to make mistakes."

India will also play five T20Is in New Zealand starting October 22.

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