09 June,2026 12:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Hardik Pandya (Pic: File Pic)
Team India is all set to clash against Afghanistan in the three-match ODI series, beginning from June 13. The first match is scheduled to be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
Ahead of the series, Team India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is fully fit and has been cleared by the Sports Science team of the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.
Earlier, Pandya missed out on a few IPL matches for the Mumbai Indians (MI) due to back spasms. He has been at the CoE in Bengaluru since June 2.
"Hardik was on a holiday abroad before he checked in at the CoE on June 2. Over the next five days, he did several match simulations and even bowled (full quota of) 10 overs," a BCCI source said.
"There has been no discomfort and the information is that his fitness data for various parameters has been okayed by Strength and Conditioning coaches at the CoE," the source added.
However, it is still not clear whether Pandya will join the Indian team in Chandigarh for a training session or directly in Dharamsala, as originally planned.
On the other hand, veteran opening batsman Rohit Sharma is also at the CoE to get an assessment on his hamstring niggle, following which he was out of action for the "Paltan" during the concluded IPL 2026.
The second ODI match between the teams will be played on June 17 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow, followed by the third game on June 20 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The hosts will miss out on the services of stalwart Virat Kohli, as he has been ruled out due to injury.
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (WK), Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Shuman Gill (C), Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Harsh Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav.
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Rahmat Shah, Fareed Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Abdul Rasooli, Nangeyalia Kahrote, Qais Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Bilal Sami, Mohammad Saleem, Allah Ghazanfar, Bashir Ahmad.
(With PTI Inputs)
