All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the forthcoming T20 International and One-Day International series against Australia due to lower back stiffness, the Board of Control for Cricket in India informed on Thursday.
“The BCCI Medical team decided to rest the all-rounder and let him undergo strength and conditioning work for his lower back at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Pandya will begin his strength work from next week,” the board said in a press release.
No replacement has been named for the T20I squad which will now consist of 14 members. Left-arm all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will replace Pandya for the five ODIs that follow the two-match T20 series which starts on Sunday.
Pandya had made his comeback to the Indian side during the recent New Zealand series after a back injury suffered during Asia Cup in September last year, followed by the controversy surrounding his comments on a television interview show. The all-rounder impressed in the three ODIs he played against New Zealand.
Jadeja, who was part of the squad against New Zealand but did not play, has been drafted in to shore up the spin bowling department.
India’s squad for Australia T20Is: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Krunal Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Siddharth Kaul, Mayank Markande
India’s squad for 1st and 2nd ODI: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rishabh Pant, Siddharth Kaul, KL Rahul
India’s squad for remaining three ODIs: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant