Senior India all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s comeback bid suffered a fresh blow, effectively ruling him out of the impending white-ball tour of New Zealand.
Hardik has not played competitive cricket since the final week of IPL 2026. He was expected to return to action for India A in the upcoming One Day series against Australia A, starting October 6, and accordingly, his ‘Return To Play’ date was set for September 20.
“This is very unfortunate, but Hardik’s latest scan reports have revealed an injury to his right shin. He has been advised to complete rest for a period of two weeks. BCCI’s medical panel head Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala has seen his reports and on his return from Japan, will assess him and decide on when he can start his rehabilitation,” a BCCI source tracking COE developments told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The injury rules him out of the India A series and effectively ends any possibility of his comeback for the New Zealand tour, where India will play five T20Is starting October 22.
This development comes just days after PTI reported that a section of BCCI officials wanted Hardik in the ODI series against the West Indies, but the selectors intervened.
Friday’s report also revealed that the BCCI wanted Hardik in the Asian Games squad and had even asked for his passport for visa-related work.
Hardik had reported a shooting pain around his knee during fielding drills right before the start of the Afghanistan T20 series, after which he took a break and decided to rest for a few days. But the pain resurfaced just as he was getting ready to receive the green light for his return.
With the New Zealand series also out of his way, Pandya will now have to wait for the Zimbabwe ODIs if he is fit to play, or perhaps test his fitness in the Vijay Hazare Trophy or Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.