Hardik Pandya will have to wait longer for his return to India’s senior white ball setup after the selectors left the star all rounder out of both squads for the upcoming home series against West Indies. India are scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20Is during the tour. The ODI leg begins on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by matches in Guwahati on September 30 and New Chandigarh on October 3. The T20I series will then be played in Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru between October 6 and October 17.
Pandya’s omission comes as he continues his return from fitness setbacks. reports indicate that the selectors want him to demonstrate that he can handle the demands of ODI cricket before bringing him back into the senior squad While the BCCI has not publicly issued a detailed explanation specifically for his exclusion. Pandya has, however, been included in India’s one day squad for the upcoming India A series against Australia A in Puducherry. The BCCI’s squad announcement makes his selection subject to fitness clearance.
Pandya is expected to be declared fit around September 20, but the selection panel wants him to establish his ability to bowl his complete 10 overs for India A before considering him for the senior side, according to an NDTV report. The report quoted the selection panel’s position as: ‘not six overs, but Pandya will only be included when he starts bowling his full quota of 10 overs. The three one day matches are scheduled for October 6, October 9 and October 11.
His India A selection also provides the selectors with a chance to assess his bowling workload and match fitness in the one day format. With Pandya unavailable, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been moved into India’s ODI squad for the West Indies series. He was originally part of India’s Asian Games squad but has now been withdrawn from that group to join the ODI side. India’s ODI squad is led by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul as vice captain. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have also been selected, while Auqib Nabi and Naman Dhir have received maiden ODI call ups. India’s ODI Squad: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.
This gives Pandya a route back into competitive 50 over cricket before another possible opportunity with the senior Indian team.
