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Major Update on Hardik Pandya’s Injury: Will He Play The South Africa Series?
Follow UsHardik suffered a big injury during the 2025 Asia Cup
In the last decade or so, no Indian player has been hampered by injuries as much as Hardik Pandya has, and the all-rounder suffered yet another setback during the Asia Cup 2025.
Pandya, in the dead-rubber against Sri Lanka, sustained an untimely quadriceps injury, and that not only ended up ruling him out of the final against Pakistan, but also the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia.
The injury meant that the team management had to hand a maiden ODI cap to Nitish Reddy in the first ODI in Perth, with the young all-rounder filling in for the experienced Pandya.
But in what comes as positive news, it is expected that Pandya will be available again come the white-ball games against South Africa at home, starting late next month.
India are slated to play three ODIs and five T20Is against the Proteas from November 30, and it’s believed that the 32-year-old is in line to be fit for that series.
According to The Times of India, Pandya is expected to spend the next four weeks at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, to return to full fitness towards the end of November.
“It is understood that the premier all-rounder will not be needing surgery for the quadriceps injury and has already commenced his rehabilitation under the watchful eyes of the BCCI's medical team,” the TOI report read.
“The 32-year-old checked into CoE last week but took a few days break for Diwali festivities. He resumed his training on Wednesday and is determined to regain complete match fitness for the series against South Africa. The timeline of his return was chalked out by the medical team last week, and the initial assessment didn't raise any major concerns,” the report further stated.
Pandya managed to stay fit in both the 2025 Champions Trophy and 2024 T20 World Cup, and Team India won both competitions unbeaten. However, his injury mid-way through the 2023 ODI World Cup proved fatal for the team, as they were unable to find the ideal balance. It eventually cost them dearly in the final, as they suffered a crushing defeat in front of 100,000 home supporters at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.