Hardik Pandya Completes Recovery, Eyes Return Against South Africa

Hardik Pandya is set to return to international cricket in the home series against South Africa after recovering from his quadriceps injury.

Hardik Pandya is on track to return for India’s home white-ball series against South Africa after recovering from a quadriceps injury. The all-rounder is currently training at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he began his gym sessions on November 21.

Pandya sustained the injury during the T20 Asia Cup Super Four clash against Sri Lanka in the UAE, where he scored 2 off 3 balls and took one wicket for seven runs before leaving the field. He missed the final against Pakistan and was ruled out of both the ODI and T20I squads for the ongoing Australia tour. According to reports from the Times of India, Pandya is expected to remain at the CoE for about a month as part of his rehabilitation program and could make his comeback during the South Africa series if he continues to progress well.

“After a holiday break, Hardik reported to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Nov 21. He will be at the CoE for a month. He has started his gym sessions and should be back in action during the white-ball series against South Africa at some point,” TOI quoted a BCCI official as saying.

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India’s ODI lineup had struggled without Hardik Pandya, forcing changes that affected team balance. To maintain batting depth, India left out Kuldeep Yadav, which weakened their spin attack and contributed to early series defeats.

In the first T20I, India fielded Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah. However, rain ended the contest before any meaningful play.