Hardik Pandya's Comeback Delayed Again Ahead of Afghanistan T20Is

Hardik Pandya’s road back to international cricket has hit yet another bump.

Working at full tilt at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and edging towards a long-awaited return, the India all-rounder has been forced to pause again, this time by a late leg niggle that threatens to rule him out of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting September 13 in New Delhi.

Another comeback stalls

By all accounts, the 32-year-old was close. TimesofIndia.com understands that Pandya had been “operating at full intensity without any discomfort” and was ticking the right boxes in his rehabilitation. The plan was clear: prove fitness at the CoE, report all-clear to the selectors, and slip back into the T20I fold.

Then the discomfort surfaced.

Medical staff have now advised him to stop bowling for the moment because of pain in the leg. He is expected to resume soon, but the Afghanistan series is looming too quickly for him to realistically reach the bowling workload and overall fitness levels demanded by the CoE.

With the bat and in terms of general movement, there were no major red flags. The stumbling block is the all-rounder’s full package. India do not just need Pandya the batter; they need Pandya the seam-bowling fulcrum, the man who balances the XI. Until the CoE is completely satisfied on that front, the green light will not come.

Long spell on the sidelines

This latest setback stretches what has already been a frustrating layoff.

Pandya has not played any competitive cricket since May 24, when he turned out for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. His last outing for India came even earlier, on March 8, in the T20 World Cup final. Since then, he has sat out the white-ball series at home against Afghanistan and the subsequent tours of Ireland and England.

The pattern will worry both player and management. Before the ODI series against Afghanistan, he suffered a late relapse with a low-grade quadriceps sprain. On that occasion too, he was reportedly at peak fitness and training strongly when the injury struck.

Now, just as the door seemed to open again, another niggle has pushed it back.

Selectors on the clock

The national selectors are expected to meet this week to finalise the squad for the Afghanistan T20Is and will be briefed on the fitness of all players currently under rehabilitation in Bengaluru.

Pandya’s status will dominate that conversation. An India T20I side without him feels increasingly familiar, but every fresh blow delays the broader question the team management wants answered: when can they plan with him, not around him?

There is at least some good news in the all-rounders’ department. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are understood to be progressing well and are in contention for the Afghanistan series, offering options with both bat and ball if Pandya is unavailable.

Bumrah on a tightrope

Jasprit Bumrah’s situation adds another layer of uncertainty. The fast bowler is described as “touch-and-go” for the three Afghanistan fixtures, though he remains on track for the Asian Games.

For India, that creates a familiar scenario: juggling workloads, monitoring reports from Bengaluru, and trying to piece together a balanced T20I side without two of their premier multi-phase operators fully locked in.

Pandya will resume bowling once cleared, and the expectation is that he will return to international cricket later in the season. The immediate question, though, hangs over New Delhi and a three-match series that was supposed to mark his comeback.

Instead, it may serve as another reminder of how fragile the timelines are when the body of India’s most important white-ball all-rounder refuses to cooperate.