India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is all set to return to competitive action for the first time since the end of the IPL 2026 season, but his participation comes with a fitness caveat. Hardik has been picked for the India A white-ball team for the impending series against Australia A, to be held later this month in Pondicherry.
Pandya last appeared during the Mumbai Indians‘ disastrous IPL campaign in the 2026 edition. He has since been out with a quadriceps injury, which has prevented him from attaining full fitness. He had sustained an injury during a fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The injury forced him to miss the ODI series against Afghanistan and the subsequent limited-overs contests as well.
Although Hardik has been named for the India A squad, his participation is subject to fitness clearance.
Australia A’s tour will begin with multi-day matches, where Devdutt Padikkal will lead the India A team. Sai Sudharsan has been named vice-captain of the India A squad for the multi-day matches after recovering from a foot injury. The first game will be played in Puducherry from September 22, followed by the second game from September 29 at the same venue. This will be followed by three one-dayers on October 6, 9 and 11 in Puducherry. Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the one-day side.
India A Multi-Day Squad: Devdutt Padikkal (C), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, N Jagadeesan (WK), Nachiket Bhute, V Vyshak.
India A One-Day Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Devdutt Padikkal (VC), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Gurjapneet Singh, Yash Thakur.
