Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reportedly suffered one other setback in his recovery from the injury that forced him to miss the tour of England. The Mumbai Indians (MI) star has not played any competitive cricket because the conclusion of the IPL 2026 season. Hardik has endured a frustrating run with injuries in recent months.
He initially picked up a knock towards the latter stages of IPL 2026 and later suffered one other setback during rehabilitation. Although he had cleared his fitness tests and was expected to return for the ODI series against Afghanistan in June, a fresh injury just before the opening match ruled him out once more.
Since then, the 32-year-old has been undergoing rehabilitation under a newly introduced ‘performance block’ programme on the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with a powerful deal with preparing him for 50-over cricket.
Consequently, he was unavailable for India’s tours of Ireland and England, in addition to the 2026 Asian Games, all of which were centred across the T20 format. Hardik Pandya has reportedly recovered from the newest setback, but his fitness and workload management will proceed to be closely monitored as India builds towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“Given his injury record, bilateral white-ball series shouldn’t be a priority for him in the intervening time. Also, for the subsequent one 12 months, within the lead-up to the World Cup, he can be used mostly within the 50-over format.”
“Hardik’s recovery had a couple of hiccups, nevertheless it’s absolutely tremendous now. He has been working on a selected programme and everyone seems to be pretty confident about having him in the highest shape on the World Cup,” a source told RevSportz.
India sorely missed Hardik Pandya throughout the ODI series against England, with captain Shubman Gill struggling to seek out the best team balance within the absence of a real pace-bowling all-rounder. The situation was further complicated after Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana were also ruled out through injuries, leaving India’s playing XI wanting depth and adaptability.
Hardik Pandya Hasn’t Featured in an ODI Since 2025 Champions Trophy Final
Hardik Pandya played a key role as India’s second seamer during their triumphant Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, where the spinners carried much of the workload. Nevertheless, the all-rounder has not featured in an ODI because the final.
India have played 15 ODIs across five bilateral series since then, however the 32-year-old has missed every match for various reasons. He was unavailable for the Australia tour after suffering an injury towards the tip of the 2025 Asia Cup.
Later, he was rested for the house ODI series against Recent Zealand because the team prioritised his workload ahead of the T20I series and the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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