Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya‘s injury concern has affected India’s preparations for the first Twenty20 International against South Africa in Cuttack. Hardik, who returned from a two-month hiatus due to a left quadriceps injury, missed India’s final training session on Monday, only one week after being cleared to play, which raised questions ahead of the five-match series.
Last week, he bowled entire spells in two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games for Baroda before departing early to travel to Cuttack to play for the national squad. India is greatly depending on Hardik with the 2026 T20 World Cup just a few months away, particularly in light of Nitish Kumar Reddy’s subpar performance.
Since sustaining his injuries during the 2025 Asia Cup, Hardik Pandya has been closely watched by the BCCI.
The all-rounder worked out alone at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday night. After a lengthy warm-up, he participated in a few bowling drills with Dayanand Garani and Nuwan Seneviratne, two throwdown experts. He appeared uneasy after only 20 minutes of bowling, though, and was treated for an additional 20 minutes before batting practice resumed. He missed India’s last training session on Monday, the day before the first Twenty20 International. Hardik reportedly skipped practice merely as a precaution and is not experiencing any significant discomfort.
After suffering a neck injury, Shubman Gill is back.
Shubman Gill, who was also recuperating from a neck ailment, batted for almost two hours in the nets against local bowlers and Jasprit Bumrah as Hardik Pandya rested. While Washington Sundar and Jitesh Sharma worked hard on power-hitting, captain Suryakumar Yadav was spotted playing the spinners. Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma even rolled their arms over for prolonged periods of time.
It’s interesting to note that Barabati Stadium will play its first game ever on red soil. Like the Wankhede, the pitch is anticipated to offer bounce and pace, which might result in a high-scoring match under the lights. Interestingly, India has lost both of their Twenty20 Internationals against South Africa.
Sanju Samson might not make the starting lineup for India, which is expected to start Gill and Abhishek Sharma. Anrich Nortje will play for South Africa for the first time since the 2024 T20 World Cup final, while Aiden Markram will take over as captain.
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