Hardik Pandya is set to miss at least three weeks of competitive cricket after suffering a fresh injury to his right shin, sidelining him from India's white-ball tour of New Zealand. The all-rounder was expected to make his return to competitive action on September 20 and has since been called up for India A's One-Day series against Australia A, starting October 6.
However, his latest scans have revealed the new injury, and the BCCI medical team has advised him to take complete rest for two weeks. Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, head of the BCCI medical panel, has reviewed his reports and is expected to assess the 32-year-old after returning from Japan to decide when he can resume his rehabilitation.
Hardik Pandya faces another setback in comeback bid
“This is very unfortunate, but Hardik's latest scan reports have revealed an injury to his right shin. He has been advised complete rest for a period of two weeks,” a BCCI source following up events at the Center of Excellence told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Pandya's latest setback means he is highly unlikely to be fit for the New Zealand T20I series, which commences on October 22, followed by an ODI series. His next possible opportunities to return would be during India's Zimbabwe ODIs, subject to his fitness or in domestic competitions such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
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The BCCI had initially planned to take Pandya along with the Indian contingent to Japan for the Asian Games, with the board's operations team even taking his passport for visa formalities.
However, shortly before the Afghanistan T20I series, Pandya experienced shooting pain around his knee while taking part in fielding drills. He took a break and opted to rest for a few days, but the pain returned when he was preparing to obtain his fitness certificate. Subsequent scans revealed the injury.
Pandya has been based in Bengaluru since the conclusion of the IPL and has been training at the Center of Excellence after relocating to the city. His latest injury is another hurdle in his bid to return to competitive cricket.
Over the last four months, Pandya has suffered fresh niggles on at least three occasions with setbacks affecting his planned returns around the Afghanistan fixtures, England T20Is and now the Australia A series.
With the New Zealand tour also set to come too soon for his recovery, Pandya will now have to focus on rehabilitation and regain full fitness before making his next competitive appearance.