Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is poised to sit out India’s final T20I series before the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, as reported by ANI. The news indicates that Pandya, still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 league match against Bangladesh, will not be part of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan slated for mid-January. Instead, Pandya is expected to make his return during the Indian Premier League next year.
The injury occurred when Pandya attempted to stop a straight drive from Litton Das, leading to his exclusion from the entire Cricket World Cup 2023 and subsequent absence from the five-match T20I series against Australia and the entire white-ball segment of the South Africa tour.
Afghanistan is scheduled to tour India in mid-January for the T20I series, with matches set to take place at IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11th, followed by Indore on January 14th and the final game at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 17th. India’s plans for the ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies remain uncertain.
Hardik Pandya, initially considered a leader for the upcoming T20 World Cup, has left the team management in a quandary due to his ongoing injury. Additionally, Suryakumar Yadav, named captain of the Indian T20I squad for the last eight T20Is after the World Cup 2023, is also in doubt for the Afghanistan T20Is after sustaining an injury in the recent T20I series against South Africa.
2 thoughts on “Cricket Win Prediction : Hardik Pandya to Sit Out T20I Series Against Afghanistan, Aims for IPL Return to Full Fitness”