Hardik Pandya to play Syed Mushtaq Ali matches in December ahead of South Africa T20I series
As per a report in Times of India, Hardik checked into the CoE on October 14 and now ready to return to competitive cricket.
New Delhi: In a major development, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has regained full fitness after completing one and a half month of rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The star all-rounder had suffered a left quadriceps injury during the 2025 Asia Cup which kept him out of action for the past two months.
As per a report in Times of India, Hardik checked into the CoE on October 14 and now ready to return to competitive cricket. The report further mentions that the medical team at the facility has officially granted him the clearance to return and participate in the matches.
It is further being learnt that Hardik is set to represent Baroda in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and he will play three matches. The three fixtures are on December 2 against Punjab, on December 4 vs Gujarat and lastly on December 6 against Haryana.
Hardik to join IND for SA T20I series
However, with the India vs South Africa T20I series set to begin on December 9 in Cuttack, the all-rounder will play only the first two matches before joining the national squad. It cannot be denied that Hardik has been a vital cog for India in the shortest format of the game as in a total of 120 matches, he has scored 1860 runs at an average of 27.35 and a strike-rate of 141.01.
With all the eyes on next year's T20 World Cup, it is being learnt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will mange his workload very carefully. Earlier, it was expected that the star player will participate in the India vs South Africa ODI series but the Indian cricket board is on hurrying up on his return as they want to keep him safe and sound for the marquee World Cup which is just two months away.