IND vs AFG: Major update on Hardik Pandya's fitness ahead of ODI series
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Hardik Pandya has been named in India’s squad for the ODI series against Afghanistan.
After a dismal performance for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League 2026, Hardik Pandya is set to play for India in the ODI series against Afghanistan. He will aim to regain his form during the campaign, in which both sides will play three ODIs.
Hardik Pandya flopped with his performance in IPL 2026, scoring just 206 runs in 10 games and picking 4 wickets at an economy of 11.43. He also failed to lead MI to the playoffs as they finished ninth in the points table with just four wins out of 14 matches.
Pandya has been picked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the ODI series against Afghanistan. However, his availability was subject to fitness. The all-rounder sustained back spasms during IPL 2026 and also missed a few games due to the injury.
Hardik Pandya to visit BCCI CoE ahead of Afghanistan ODI series
Pandya is set to visit the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru ahead of the ODI series against Afghanistan. He will arrive on June 2 and spend about a week at the BCCI facility before joining India‘s squad for the Afghanistan ODI series. He will undergo fitness drills and tests at the CoE.
Ahead of the ODI series, both sides will also clash in a one-off Test match. The encounter will be played from June 6 to 10 at MYS International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
The opening ODI game will take place on June 13 in Dharamsala. The next two games will be played on June 17 in Lucknow and June 20 in Chennai.
India’s ODI squad vs Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey.
How many ODI games will be played between India and Afghanistan?
The ODI games will be played between both sides.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.