(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] Hardik Pandya’s fitness status is what is bugging the cricket fraternity at the moment as there has been no official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the all-rounder’s return to action.
After injuring is ankle in the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh, Pandya was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. He even missed the white-ball bilateral series versus Australia and South Africa.
While some reports suggest that he could make a comeback in the upcoming three-match T20I series, scheduled between India and Afghanistan from January 11-17, ANI has denied it by quoting a source.
According to ANI, Pandya has been ruled out of the Afghanistan assignment, which will be India’s last T20I series before the next year’s World Cup. However, he will be available for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Pandya moved back to Mumbai Indians (MI) as a captain after Gujarat Titans (GT) traded their title-winning skipper upon his request. This created an uproar as Mumbai Indians chose to sack Rohit Sharma, who is the joint-most successful IPL leader, to bring back Pandya to the franchise.