Hardik Pandya is out of action due to an injury. Photo: AP
\n\nTeam India has been without the services of Hardik Pandya since the end of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The star Indian all-rounder suffered an injury after IPL 2026 and missed the home ODI series against Afghanistan. The injury kept him out of the UK tour and the Asian Games as well. Pandya was slated to make his return for India A against Australia A but another injury ruled him out.
\n\nIndia have been playing Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy in Pandya's absence, but none of them has been able to fill Pandya's shoes. Amid Pandya's absence, Sunil Gavaskar has made a bold claim and said that he (Pandya) is irreplaceable.
\n\n"We didn't get to see the bowling. It would have been interesting to see how the Indians bowled in this nine-over game. The takeaway from the series is that, in their bowling, they have to play with at least four regular bowlers. A fifth bowler and a sixth can be your all-rounders, somebody who can bat as well. Somebody like a Naman Dhir, who's more of a batter but who can come in and bowl two…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports
