Hardik Pandya faces extended period on sidelines after missing Asia Cup final against Pakistan

Hardik Pandya faces an extended period on the sidelines after sitting out of the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, with the star all-rounder reportedly set to miss India’s upcoming ODI series in Australia that gets underway on 19 October.

Pandya had been ruled out of the Asia Cup final due to a left quadriceps injury after playing each of India’s previous six matches, including their seven and six-wicket victories against Pakistan in the group stage and the Super 4s respectively.

His absence, however, did not prevent the Men in Blue from winning the Asia Cup with a perfect 7-0 record after beating Pakistan in an intensely-fought contest that went down the wire.

Pandya reportedly advised four weeks’ rest

As for India’s next white-ball assignment, the Men in Blue will likely have to plan for the three-match ODI series against Australia keeping Pandya’s absence in mind.

According to Dainik Jagran, Pandya has been advised four weeks of rest to recover from the quadriceps strain, meaning he will be missing the entire 50-over leg of the tour at the very least.

The Mumbai Indians captain, however, could recover in time to play the five-match T20I series, which begins on 29 October and concludes on 8 November.

Pandya’s absence, meanwhile, isn’t likely to be the biggest talking point in the one-dayers Down Under, even if he is an integral part of the lineup in the 50-over format.

The series, after all, could witness the return of batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to international cricket for the first time since the former captained the Men in Blue to victory in the Champions Trophy – a campaign that Pandya had made vital contributions in – in March.

There has been a lot of speculation over Rohit and Kohli’s future in the Indian team, with the two superstars having quit Test cricket in May after retiring from T20Is in June last year. The two seniors have set their sights on helping India win the 2027 ICC World Cup in South Africa with the ‘Hitman’ still seeing himself as the captain.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, on the other hand, are eager to see young Shubman Gill lead India across formats after his successful captaincy debut in the five-match Test series in England earlier this summer.

The squad for the Australia tour is expected to be announced soon, possibly later this week, and it remains to be seen who attends the press conference announcement