Hardik Pandya Ruled Out: After the Asia Cup 2025, India will play a two-match home series against West Indies starting October 2. Following this, Team India will tour Australia from October 19. However, the Indian team has suffered a major setback before this. Star player Hardik Pandya has reportedly sustained a quadriceps injury. According to reports, he will not participate in the three-match ODI series against Australia. It is known that Hardik Pandya bowled only one over in the Super-4 match against Sri Lanka and left the field. Subsequently, he was also ruled out of the Asia Cup final match against Pakistan due to injury.
In fact, a report in Dainik Jagran, citing BCCI sources, stated that Hardik will take more than four weeks to recover from his left quadriceps injury. The report mentioned that he will not be able to play in the ODI series against Australia. However, there is a possibility of him playing in the T20 series, provided he recovers in time. The report also stated that the BCCI's medical team has not yet submitted its report on Hardik. A clearer picture of his condition will emerge after the report is released.
It is worth noting that Hardik Pandya, who has played 94 ODIs, is a leading Indian fast bowler in the 50-over format. In the limited-overs format, he has scored 1904 runs and taken 91 wickets. His absence from the Australia tour means India will now have to look for an alternative like him. In his absence, all-rounders like Nitish Kumar Reddy could be a good option.
The ODI series against Australia will begin on October 19 and conclude on October 25. With this series, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will make their return to international cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy. Following this, a five-match T20 series will be played from October 29 to November 8.
