Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya suffered a left quadricep injury during the recent Asia Cup 2025 win which forced him to miss the summit clash against Pakistan. He was subsequently also ruled out of the upcoming white-ball tour of Australia, where the countries will play three ODIs and five T20Is.
Pandya’s absence will be a blow as India builds up for the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup. Nevertheless, there is positive news on the injury front, which is expected to keep Hardik out for a span of four-six weeks.
The 32-year-old seems to be making progress in his rehabilitation and is expected to check in at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) today (October 14), according to a TOI report. It is understood that given the current scenario, a surgery is not needed and he can make a return by next month.
Hardik Pandya will undergo assessment and fitness tests at CoE which will give more clarity over the future course of action.
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22-year-old seam bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been included in the India squad for both T20Is and ODIs as Pandya’s replacement for the tour Down Under.
Notably, Nitish had made his Test debut in Australia during Border Gavaskar Trophy last year and had an impressive outing. He finished as India’s second-highest run-scorer after Yashasvi Jaiswal with 298 runs in five games at an average of 37.25 including a century. With the ball too, he picked up five scalps with best figures of 2/32.
Nitish, who has already made his debuts in Tests and T20Is for India, now has a chance to earn his maiden cap in the 50-over format as well in Australia. Nitish’s emergence has been a big blessing for India, a fast bowling all-rounder who can play both red-ball and white-ball, especially with Hardik’s recurring injuries forcing him to the sidelines.
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