Team India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will have to prove his fitness before the upcoming three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made it clear that before being included in the final eleven, he will have to obtain fitness clearance from the Center of Excellence (CoE).
Hardik Pandya has been included in the Indian team for the ODI series against Afghanistan, but a condition related to fitness has also been added to his name. According to the report, Hardik reached the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru on June 2 and will spend more than a week there before the start of the series.
During this time, the 32-year-old all-rounder will have to undergo fitness drills and physical assessment. They will get RTP (Return To Play) approval only after meeting all the standards. Only after this will the final decision be taken on his availability in the ODI series against Afghanistan.
This fitness test is also important for Hardik because he suffered from back spasms while captaining Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026. For this reason he could not play in some matches during the tournament. His last ODI match was against New Zealand in the final of ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Rohit Sharma also instructed to report in CoE
Not only Hardik, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma has also been asked by BCCI to report to the Center of Excellence. Rohit was suffering from hamstring injury during IPL 2026. For this reason, a condition related to fitness has been imposed before his name in the Indian team announced for the Afghanistan series.
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However, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene had recently claimed that Rohit is completely fit. According to Jayawardene, Rohit was given enough time to recover from the injury and the medical team has considered him 100 percent fit.
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He also clarified that using Rohit as an impact player in the IPL was part of the team’s strategy and had nothing to do with his fitness. Jayawardene said that Mumbai Indians take decisions according to the needs of their team and Rohit always adapts himself as per the demands of the team.
When is the ODI series between India and Afghanistan?
The three-match ODI series between India and Afghanistan will start from June 13 at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. The second match will be played on June 17 at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, while the third and final ODI will be held on June 20 in Chennai.
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India’s ODI team against Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey.
Now everyone’s eyes will be on the fitness report of Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma. If both the players get clearance on time, then the Indian team will look even stronger against Afghanistan.
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