India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been out of cricketing action since getting injured during the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Sri Lanka. The Baroda cricketer also missed out on India's thrilling final against Pakistan due to a quadriceps injury he got during the Super Four clash against Sri Lanka.
Why is Hardik not included in India's ODI squad?
Hardik will have to prove his fitness in domestic cricket to make his comeback in international cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 (SMAT) Trophy 2025. There were reports earlier that he would be seen featuring for India in the T20I squad against the same opponent. India will play a five-match T20I series against South Africa, which will start from December 9.
When will Hardik make cricketing comeback?
Hardik Pandya has been included in Baroda's squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The T20 domestic tournament is scheduled to start from November 26 and Baroda will take on Bengal in their opener clash. Hardik's last domestic outing came in 2024 during the same tournament where he played under his brother Krunal Pandya's captaincy.
Apart from Hardik Pandya, India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who also missed India's last ODI assignment against Australia, has been rested from the three-match ODI series to manage his workload. Bumrah is currently featuring in the two Test match series against the Proteas and he will also feature in the T20I series against the same opponent.
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India's ODI schedule against South Africa
| ODI Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | 30 November 2025 | JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi |
| 2nd ODI | 3 December 2025 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur |
| 3rd ODI | 6 December 2025 |
Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA‑VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam
|
India's ODI squad against South Africa
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.