Hardik Pandya set to miss Afghanistan ODIs

Hardik Pandya's return to ODI cricket has been further delayed, with the India all-rounder developing a fresh complication that will rule him out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, beginning in Dharamshala on June 13.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to confirm the quadriceps injury he sustained while undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for back spasms, but the Board is expected to announce a replacement soon.

The three ODIs are scheduled for June 13, 17 and 20, and Pandya was originally due to fly from Bengaluru to Dharamshala on Thursday for the first match.

It has been learned that Pandya told the CoE medical team on Tuesday that she was having some pain. She was immediately referred to a local clinic in Bengaluru, where scans showed that she had a strain in her quadriceps that will take at least a few weeks to heal.

It has been reported that Pandya will continue his rehabilitation for the latest injury in Bengaluru. He is expected to be fit for the three ODIs in England, scheduled to be played on July 14, 16 and 19. The team for the series has not yet been announced by the BCCI, though it is anticipated to do so within the next few days.

The BCCI had stated that Pandya and Rohit Sharma were conditional selections, subject to passing fitness tests, when they announced the Afghanistan ODI squad. Rohit, it is learnt, has cleared the fitness assessment, but Pandya's fresh injury has further delayed his return to international cricket.

Pandya, who has been in the news recently over his future with Mumbai Indians, whom he led in the just-concluded IPL season, has not played an ODI since March 2025 and has not represented India in T20Is since March 2026.