Hardik Pandya to miss Afghanistan ODI series? Report
What's the story
The Indian cricket team will likely miss star all-rounder Hardik Pandya in their upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. According to a recent report by The Times of India, the decision comes after Pandya suffered a low-grade quadricep sprain. He was declared fit by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) and had submitted his fitness report two days prior to departure.
Fitness issues
What happened to Pandya?
Despite being declared fit, Pandya faced some fitness-related issues. This has led to him missing out on the Afghanistan series. "There has been a very late setback. He sustained a low-grade, mild quadricep sprain, causing some tenderness. It's nothing long-term, but medical staff advised him to avoid any strain or weight-bearing for the next few days. Hardik will continue to stay in Bengaluru, consulting with CoE physios and trainers during his recovery phase," a BCCI official told TOI.
Injury updates
Pandya was initially deemed unfit
Pandya's participation in the ODI series against Afghanistan was subject to fitness clearance from CoE. However, he had recovered from his back spasms. On Tuesday, 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.
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.