Hardik Pandya ruled out of entire New Zealand series with calf injury

Team India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out due to injury once again. He had been picked for the New Zealand tour, but a scan revealed an injury to his right calf during practice, ruling him out of the entire series.

Hardik was set to return to the side on September 20. The selection committee had also named him in the India A squad for the one-day series against Australia A starting October 6. But the latest scan revealed the injury to his right calf, affecting both selections.

A BCCI source said this was unfortunate and Hardik has been advised two weeks of complete rest. The source added that Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, head of the BCCI medical committee, has reviewed his report after returning from Japan and will decide when rehabilitation can begin, meaning a date for Hardik's return has not yet been fixed.

The New Zealand tour begins with a T20 series on October 22, followed by the one-day series. Hardik is unlikely to be back before then. It is believed the BCCI had wanted Hardik to travel with the team for the Asian Games, and his passport had even been obtained for a visa for that purpose, indicating the board wanted him back in the side as soon as possible.

However, just before the T20 series against Afghanistan, he had felt pain in his knee during a fielding practice session. He rested and was about to be cleared fit when the pain recurred, and the scan showed the injury, renewing concerns about his fitness.

Hardik Pandya's game has been interrupted by injury since March this year. He last played for Team India in any format in March 2026. He then played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, but was not fully fit even for that tournament. As a result, he is now struggling to return to the Indian team. There were also reports a few days ago that he had shifted to Bengaluru to improve his fitness. Overall, this cycle of injuries appears to have stayed with Hardik over the past several months.