New Delhi: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has sounded the alarm over Hardik Pandya’s recurring injuries, saying his latest setback could make it difficult for the Indian team management and selectors to have confidence in his availability.
Pandya is currently out of India’s home series against the West Indies, which includes three ODIs and five T20Is. He has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) and was expected to return to competitive cricket with India A against Australia A. However, a fresh shin injury ruled him out, extending his time away from competitive cricket to four months.
The troubles began in IPL 2026, with a back stress issue, which was followed by a quadriceps injury, and then multiple failures to recover in time, despite being included in squads. Even before the shin injury, head coach Gautam Gambhir said that Pandya was not fit to bowl ten overs in an ODI.
“It is unfortunate for any player that Hardik is getting injured without playing,” Pathan said on Star Sports. “You play, get injured, and then get injured again during rehab. He is ruled out of the India A series as well, and this will not give the management and selectors confidence. It is one thing to get injured if you keep playing and your workload increases.”
With Hardik’s fitness remaining uncertain, Pathan also called for India to develop more fast-bowling all-rounders who can provide cover for him. He identified Nitish Kumar Reddy as one player who could be given a longer run.
Pathan praised Reddy’s development, particularly his bowling, pace and work ethic. Reddy himself recently returned from injury and contributed with the ball in India’s T20I series against Afghanistan.
“Whenever the chance is there, it is important for the management to develop two all-rounders. That is why you will see that Nitish will be backed. His responsibility is now to perform and stay fit. We have seen his graph going upwards. His pace has gone up, and he has worked on his bowling,” he said.
Reddy was initially selected for India’s Asian Games 2026 squad but was later replaced and added to the ODI squad for the West Indies series. He bowled five overs in the first ODI and finished with figures of 1/45.
Pandya’s injuries and the fact that India hasn’t found an apt replacement for him in ten years show just how big of a unicorn he is. India didn’t produce too many pace all-rounders before him and hasn’t done many since.
Bowling ten overs in ODIs and also offering lower-order finishing skills is a unique combination to find in the subcontinent, because it requires specialised physiques and extremely robust bodies. The fitness, diet, and injury-management culture in India is still developing, compared to other countries, which means it’ll still take some time to unearth, groom, and nurture pace all-rounders.
Pandya was an exception and is now facing injuries which could be traced back to the hardships and dietary restrictions he faced early in his career.
And pace all-rounders are among the most important cogs in an ODI team. Arguably, Pandya is as important as Virat Kohli for the Indian ODI side, because he provides balance — if he’s there, India can play an aggressive spinner in Kuldeep Yadav and could be open to making it two. But without him, batting depth comes at the cost of a bowling option, making the team weaker.
