(Cricket News) Ruturaj Gaikwad is also out due to a finger injury and is expected to miss the first leg of the England Test series. Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are not included in the Indian squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan that begins on January 11.
According to numerous reports, both Suryakumar and Hardik will be back in action from the IPL. Suryakumar, who captained India in the T20Is in South Africa in December, injured his ankle while fielding in the third and final match in Johannesburg. He had ankle surgery recently and is anticipated to resume training in a few months.
The India all-rounder, Hardik, injured his ligament during the league match against Bangladesh in Pune in November. Although the BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) had predicted a quick recovery, Hardik is still undergoing rehabilitation.
It is reported that although the all-rounder has continued to work on his strength and conditioning, he has not reached optimal fitness. As a precaution, the medical team has advised Hardik to continue monitoring his workload. The Afghanistan series is India’s final bilateral T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup, which starts on June 1, immediately following the IPL.
One important question for the selectors to answer if he was healthy for the Afghanistan series would have been whether to consider him as captain. Hardik was expected to take Rohit is place as the shortest format skipper following the 2022 T20 World Cup.
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