The Indian team management is focused on making Hardik Pandya available for the 2027 ODI World Cup and given his frequent injury issues, they aren’t interested in hurrying him to play bilateral white-ball series, especially with his recovery having had a few hiccups recently, according to a report in RevSportz.
Pandya’s injury woes have been anything but straightforward in recent months. He picked up an injury towards the end of IPL 2026, only to suffer another setback during his recovery.
Having cleared his fitness tests, Pandya was in line to feature in last month’s ODI series against Afghanistan before a fresh injury ruled him out just before the opening game.
Since then, Pandya has been undergoing a specially designed performance block programme
at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with a clear focus on preparing him for 50-over cricket.
Pandya wasn’t considered for the tours of Ireland and England, nor for the Asian Games, all of which were centred around the shortest format. Although he has recovered from the latest setback, as per the report, the focus remains on his fitness and recovery as he builds towards the ODI World Cup.
“The focus is on the 2027 (ODI) World Cup, where it would be imperative to have a fully fit Hardik. Given his injury record, bilateral white-ball series is not a priority for him at the moment,” a source said while speaking to RevSportz.
“Also, for the next one year, in the lead-up to the World Cup, he would be used mostly in the 50-over format. Hardik’s recovery had a few hiccups, but it is absolutely fine now,” the source added.
India felt the absence of Pandya during the ODI series against England. Skipper Shubman Gill struggled to find the right balance in the playing XI, with the lack of pace-bowling all-rounders exposing a major weakness after both Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana were ruled out through injuries.
