New Delhi: Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has reportedly been ruled out of the India A squad for their upcoming unofficial ODI series against Australia A. Hardik has suffered a fresh injury setback, which has delayed his comeback for India A.
As per the Times of India, Mumbai’s young all-rounder Suryansh Shedge has been roped in as a replacement for Hardik in the India A squad for their unofficial ODI series against Australia A. The three-match one-day series is set to get underway in Puducherry from Tuesday, October 06.
“Shedge had gone to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for a fitness assessment, and after being cleared by the CoE’s medical team, left for Puducherry yesterday,” a source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
Hardik suffered a fresh injury setback while undergoing his rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The star all-rounder reportedly experienced discomfort in his right calf after undergoing a fitness assessment last month.
An MRI revealed mild intramedullary oedema. Hardik is thus unlikely to make his comeback in the upcoming one-day series between India A and Australia A. The all-rounder has not played for India since the T20 World Cup earlier this year, missing crucial series against Afghanistan, England and West Indies.
Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead India A
Ruturaj Gaikwad is set to lead India A in their upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A, with Devdutt Padikkal serving as his deputy. Gaikwad was part of India’s ODI squad in the recently concluded three-match series against West Indies in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, who was leading India at the Asian Games 2026.
Gaikwad did well for India in the ODI series against West Indies, scoring 101 runs in three matches while remaining unbeaten in two matches. He notched up a crucial 57-run knock in the third ODI against West Indies on Saturday to bail India out of trouble after their poor start.
India A squad for Australia A one-day series:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal (VC), Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Gurjapneet Singh, Yash Thakur, Suryansh Shedge