Out of favour India all-rounder Hardik Pandya's injury woes does not seem to die down as the Baroda player is all set to be sidelined for a long time. Pandya is unlikely to return till IPL 2022 which will be held in April. India will play three ODIs and T20 series with the West Indies at home from 6 to 20 February 2022 next year. After this, the Sri Lankan team will tour India for a series of 2 Tests and 3 T20 matches from 25 February to 18 March. It will not be possible for Hardik Pandya to play in both these series. BCCI has made it clear that if Hardik Pandya has to return to Team India, then he will have to work on his fitness in the NCA and then prove himself in domestic circuit. According to a report in InsideSports, the BCCI has asked Hardik Pandya to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Hardik Pandya will work on his bowling fitness in the new year under the supervision of experts at the NCA instead of his name being considered for selection. IPL 2022 auction is going to be held in January and there are still questions on Hardik Pandya's fitness.
The all rounder had sustained a shoulder injury during the T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan, and is currently struggling with his much older lower back injury, which has held him back since then to bowl with the rhythm he would have liked. A vital batter in India’s lower middle order, especially in the limited Overs format, Pandya was included in Team India squad for the T20 World Cup this year, but looked completely out of sorts with both bat and the ball.He bowled a total of just 4 Overs- two each against New Zealand and Afghanistan, while conceding 17 and 23 runs respectively in the process. With the bat, barring a 13-ball 35 runs knock versus Afghanistan, he could not come up with any notable contribution. It was during the 2018 Asia Cup league-stage encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan when the Indian all-rounder first had his tryst with a back injury. Hardik was stretchered off the field and was out of action for almost 3 months. The back injury once again surfaced during the 2019 World Cup and even though he completed the tournament, it was clear that something needed to be done.
