Hardik Pandya To Lead India In T20I Series At Home Against Afghanistan: Report
Mumbai: India’s T20I captain Hardik Pandya in all probability will be leading the side against Afghanistan in the three-match series at home next month after recovering from the ankle injury he suffered during the ODI World Cup 2023, according to reports. Pandya sustained a heel injury against Bangladesh in ODI World Cup 2023 and was ruled out midway into the tournament.
Post that, Pandya missed the T20I series against Australia and also India’s tour to South Africa. Based on the report, India all-rounder will be available to lead Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, after being named as new captain replacing Rohit Sharma.
“He has completely recovered from his ankle injury. He has been training every day,” a source close to the player was quoted as saying to TOI. Earlier, there were reports that Hardik might miss the T20I series against Afghanistan and IPL 2024 too.
During the Women’s Premier League auction, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had spoken about Pandya’s return against Afghanistan. “We are monitoring it (Pandya’s fitness) on a day-to-day basis. He is at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) only. He is working very hard and we will let you know in due course the moment he is fit. He could be fit before the Afghanistan series also,” Shah had said.