KARACHI: Veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been dropped from the three-match ODI series against England, Indian media reported on Saturday.
According to a report, the 32-year-old all-rounder, who missed the domestic ODI series against Afghanistan due to a quadriceps injury, has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru since June 2.
Meanwhile, according to the latest development, a source in the cricket board said that Pandya has not been able to achieve the required level of bowling and conditioning and thus needs more time to regain full fitness.
“Hardik has not been able to achieve the level of bowling and conditioning required for the ODI format and will require more time to regain full fitness for the ODIs,” a BCCI source told a publication on Saturday.
A BCCI source further shared that the selection of batsman Virat Kohli in the Indian squad for the England series is subject to his fitness, for which he will undergo a test at the BCCI CoE on June 22.
Notably, the 37-year-old batting maestro suffered a hamstring injury while representing Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) final and later missed the domestic ODI series against Afghanistan.
“Kohli is progressing well following the right hamstring injury sustained while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL-2026,” the sources said.
“He has been assessed by the CoE team in London and given a plan to proceed with the initial phase of rehabilitation. He will report to the CoE on June 22 for further re-assessment and clearance.”
Notably, the ODI series between England and India will begin on July 14 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, while the subsequent matches will be played at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff and Lord’s in London on July 16 and 19 respectively.