Gautam Gambhir breaks silence on Hardik Pandya's prolonged absence from Team India

Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has given an update on Hardik Pandya’s fitness amid his prolonged absence from the side. Pandya last played for India during the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand and has been left out ever since.

He was recently selected for the India A squad for the three-match one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry from October 6 to 11, subject to fitness clearance. He was also left out of India's ODI squad for the upcoming West Indies series as the management continues to build his workload towards 50-over cricket.

Following India’s 3-0 T20I series whitewash over Afghanistan, Gambhir gave an update on Pandya, revealing that he isn’t ready to bowl ten overs in ODIs yet. 

"Hardik at the moment cannot bowl ten overs, and he hasn't played a lot of cricket since the IPL, so we don't want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

Gambhir also said that Hardik Pandya has been conveyed that India A performances will serve as a pathway to a Team India comeback.

"And that was the clear message to him that if he can play that India A series, and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20S and the one-day squad as well," he added.

India to next take part in Asian Games

Gambhir also stressed the importance of seam-bowling all-rounders for the ODI World Cup 2027 in South Africa and said that they might even play Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy together in the playing XI.

"From Nitish's point of view, it's actually a great thing that he's been withdrawn from the T20 format, and he'll get game time against the West Indies as well. We know how important a seam-bowling all-rounder will probably be in a year and when we go to South Africa. And once Hardik comes back, obviously it's going to be good. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11," Gambhir said during the post-match press conference.

Meanwhile, India will next play in the Asian Games men’s cricket event, where they’ve earned an automatic qualification to the quarter-final, which will be played on September 28. Following which, they will host West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is.