 "Hardik Pandya won two ICC tournaments with India in nine months. Image: Reuters")
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s place in the Indian team for Asia Cup 2025 might depend on his upcoming fitness test. As per Times of India, the 31-year-old will have to pass a routine fitness assessment at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru on August 11 and 12 before the selectors announce the squad.
Pandya to face fitness test before squad announcement
Earlier, several media reports suggested that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to unveil the squad for the Asia Cup in the third week of August. The Asia Cup is scheduled to take place from September 9 to September 28, with India’s opening game slated for September 10.
According to the report, Pandya has been training in Mumbai since mid-July to get ready for the important tournament. He is one of India’s most valuable white-ball players and often contributes in all departments. He played a big role in India’s title winning campaigns at the 2024 T20 World Cup and in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
If Pandya clears the fitness test, he will almost certainly be in the squad for the marquee Asian Cricket Council (ACC) event. However, if there are any injury concerns, the selectors might have to look at other options.
Meanwhile, the report also claimed that India batter Shreyas Iyer underwent a similar fitness test at the NCA last month. Although Iyer is not part of India’s T20I plans at the moment, he may be considered for the Asia Cup given his performance in IPL 2025, where he led his team to the final with brilliant displays throughout the tournament.
India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is also at the Centre of Excellence (CoE), formerly NCA, where he is undergoing rehabilitation after a sports hernia surgery. He is expected to become fit before the start of the Asia Cup. SKY shared a video a few days ago, where he was seen batting in the nets.