India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. The reports in Sports Tak have suggested that the all-rounder will miss the upcoming series but will be fit by the time the Indian Premier League (IPL) starts.
Hardik Pandya injured himself during the ICC World Cup 2023 and since then has been out of action. The injury was much worse than expected as he has missed two series since then in Australia and South Africa.
The all-rounder is now all set to miss the T20I series against Afghanistan in January. The reports have suggested that he will miss the series but will regain full fitness ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
It can be assumed that team management doesn’t want to risk him and hence they don’t allow him to take part in the Afghanistan series. The all-rounder will be a potential candidate to captain the team in the T20 World Cup 2024, set to be played in the USA and the Caribbean.
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The IPL 2024 will begin in March and Hardik Pandya will be captaining Mumbai Indians. There will be no bigger platform than IPL for him to make a comeback. He was recently traded to five-time champions and also was named as their captain.
Hardik Pandya since the last T20 World Cup has been captaining India in the shortest format of the game. The senior players have been rested from the format and it won’t be a surprise if he leads India in the upcoming World Cup.
Apart from Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav to be ruled out of the T20I series against Afghanistan
India will be without the services of Suryakumar Yadav as well in the T20I series against Afghanistan. The batter suffered an ankle injury during the South Africa tour and recently underwent treatment.
Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be fit for the IPL 2024. He is expected to play a huge role for the team in the tournament. The batter also will be a vital cog for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2024.
With both Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav not fit to take part in the Afghanistan T20Is, it remains to be seen who will captain India in the series against Afghanistan.