Hardik Pandya for India. Image Credits: AFP
Hardik Pandya was recently selected in Team India squad for the upcoming three-match home ODI series against Afghanistan. However, the senior all-rounder as well as his Mumbai Indians colleague Rohit Sharma are both “subject to fitness”, considering the two cricketers were forced to miss a handful of IPL 2026 games owing to their fitness concerns.
Pandya played just 10 out of 14 Mumbai Indians league fixtures, prompting Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah to take up captaincy on an interim basis. The 32-year-old even did not bowl in their final game against Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium this past weekend, thus raising much concern around his availability for the Afghanistan series.
With just over two weeks remaining for the series, Hardik Pandya himself lifted the lid on his availability and provided an update on his fitness status.
Hardik Pandya drops massive fitness update after Mumbai Indians defeat
While speaking after Mumbai Indians’ big defeat against the Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on May 24, captain Hardik Pandya was asked why he was overtly stretching on the field in the middle. The cricketer also did not bowl in the game, thus raising much concern for his availability in the Indian team for upcoming fixtures.
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Pandya cleared the air around his fitness, saying that he is absolutely fine and just wanted to spend a game without having to bowl.
He said “Everything is fine. I bat, I bowl, I field, I skip, so it's okay, it's fair for me to have a game where I just batted and enjoyed as well.”
IPL 2026: A season to forget for Hardik Pandya
IPL 2026 was pretty much a season to forget for Pandya, both as captain as well as a player. Moreover, the cricketer also suffered from injury concerns during the tournament.
His lack of fitness prompted the all-rounder to miss as many as four matches for the team. In the 10 matches he played, the 32-year-old aggregated just 206 runs in 10 innings at a dismal average of 22.88. Even with the ball, the cricketer picked up just four wickets in nine innings at an expensive bowling average of 64.75.
As captain, Pandya led the Mumbai Indians to a disappointing ninth-placed finish at the end of the league stage of the IPL 2026 season.
The road ahead…
Amid injury and form concerns, the senior Indian all-rounder will be aiming to make the most out of India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The series will also constitute as India’s dress rehearsal in their road towards the 2027 ICC ODI Cricket World Cup.
The three matches will be played between June 14 and June 20 in Dharamsala, Lucknow and Chennai.
Conclusion (Akash's opinion)
Despite enduring an underwhelming IPL 2026 campaign plagued by fitness concerns and inconsistent form, Hardik Pandya’s reassuring update will come as a massive boost for Team India ahead of their all-important ODI series.
Even if half fit or unable to bowl, the seasoned all-rounder possesses the pedigree and match-winning prowess to spearhead India’s ambitions on the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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