Hardik is India’s most crucial white-ball player.
While India are favourites to win the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, they have a few injury concerns leading up to the game. In the last contest against Sri Lanka, Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma suffered cramps and were out of the field for most of the second innings.
India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel shared an update on the two, and his statement indicated that Abhishek should be fine, but Hardik had more serious cramps. In fact, the all-rounder bowled only a solitary over – the first of the second innings – and left the ground, following the rest of the game from the dugout.
He is India’s most crucial white-ball player, and the team would hope he returns for the final against Pakistan, against whom he has a fabulous record. More importantly, he provides balance to the unit and is the reason why India could adopt a batting-heavy tactic throughout the tournament.
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Hardik has scored 48 runs at a strike rate of 120, including a best of 38, in four innings so far. Additionally, he has four wickets at 30 runs apiece and an economy rate of 8.57 in six outings with the ball.
If Hardik is unfit and can’t take part in the summit clash, India will need to find alternatives for an all-rounder who is irreplaceable. Simply put, India are yet to find a replacement for Hardik, even if they have a few other all-rounders to work with.
Still, the most realistic move will be to bring in Shivam Dube, who is the closest to what Hardik can offer, not in terms of skill sets, but being a dual-role player. Furthermore, they should stick with Arshdeep and drop Harshit Rana, who was expensive in the last game, to accommodate Jasprit Bumrah.
That would mean India at least strengthen the bowling department, for Dube can’t be trusted to perform Hardik’s role, even if his bowling skills have improved. Hardik bowled a few overs in the powerplay, and Arshdeep can perform the same role with more precision while giving equal value at the death.
Dube can be used at some stage in the middle order if the pitch and situation demand, but India already have plenty of bowling options otherwise. Rinku Singh is another option to replace Hardik, but since this management has emphasised having players with all-round value, his chances are slim.
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
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