Hardik Pandya fit for Afghanistan ODIs, clears BCCI's CoE tests
What's the story
According to a PTI report, star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is fully fit to feature in the impending three-match ODI series against Australia, starting June 13 in Dharamsala. Pandya has been given the green light by the Sports Science team of BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE). The 32-year-old missed several IPL matches for Mumbai Indians due to back spasms. He has been at CoE in Bengaluru since June 2.
Training details
Pandya's fitness details
A BCCI source told PTI that Pandya was on an overseas holiday before arriving at CoE on June 2. During his five-day CoE stay, he underwent several match simulations and bowled his full quota of 10 overs. The source added that there was no discomfort during these sessions, and his fitness data for various parameters has been approved by Strength and Conditioning coaches at CoE.
Team dynamics
Boost for Team India
Pandya's return is a huge boost for India's white-ball setup. His pace-bowling and explosive hitting during death overs are key to the team's balance. Despite his fitness status being unclear, assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak had said on Monday that he believed the all-rounder was doing fine. It is not clear if Pandya will join the team in Chandigarh for a night training session or directly head to Dharamsala as per the original plans.
Information
A look at his numbers
Pandya's presence in white-ball cricket sets the balance of Team India right. In 94 ODIs, the all-rounder has scored 1,904 runs at an average of 32.82. This includes a strike rate of 110.89 and 11 half-centuries. Pandya also has 91 wickets at 35.50.
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India's squad for Afghanistan ODIs
Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, and Harsh Dubey.