Senior international stars Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are likely to skip the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. According to a report in the news agency PTI , Pandya, who is recovering from
a quadriceps injury, is going to ‘focus solely on the shortest format for now’, whereas Bumrah will be rested under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s ‘workload management’ planning.
Pandya picked up the injury during the 2025 Asia Cup. In India’s last Super-Four match against Sri Lanka, a dead-rubber, he bowled the first over and took a wicket, before walking off straight to the pavilion. He missed the all-important final against Pakistan, which India went on to win.
“Hardik is recovering well from his quadriceps injury at the moment. He is at the Centre of Excellence doing his RTP (Return To Play) routines. As of now, returning from quadriceps injury, he needs to build up his workload and straightaway playing 50 overs will be risky. Till the T20 World Cup, the BCCI medical team and Hardik would focus on T20Is,” the news agency cited a BCCI source saying on condition of anonymity.
The report said Pandya is likely to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Baroda to ‘prove his match fitness’ and the Mumbai Indians skipper would return for the T20I series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the BCCI has been carefully managing Bumrah’s fitness since the serious back spasm injury he picked up in January. He played only three Tests against England and was rested for the ODI series against Australia, too.
The ODI series will begin on November 30, with the last match on December 6. The five T20Is will be played between December 9 and 19.
The ODI series carries little relevance, with two years to go for the 50-over World Cup. All players would want to make their case for the T20 edition, which is scheduled to happen in February-March next year.
