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The India National Cricket Team is all set to receive a major boost before the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy now fit and ready to return.
Pandya and Reddy are expected to be available for selection for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to begin on September 13 in Delhi. Earlier, Hardik Pandya revealed why 'India Captaincy' was never his ultimate goal.
Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy fit for Afghanistan T20Is
As reported by Times of India, Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been working hard at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, and both all-rounders are ready for their return to India.
The report says “both Pandya and Reddy have been training intensely at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and operating at full capacity” at the moment.
Their return is really a bit of a boost for India because both Pandya and Reddy can give the team a strong balance with both bat and ball. Their availability will also give the selectors more options as they are set to announce the squad for the upcoming Afghanistan series soon.
A source close to the development was quoted as saying by Times of India: “Both Reddy and Pandya have been at the CoE for a very long time now and only take breaks for personal commitments. Reddy only goes back home during the weekends while Pandya has anyway moved base to Bengaluru.”
Why were Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined?
Hardik Pandya was struggling with the recurring back spasms that forced him to miss the latter half of the Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 season. During his recovery from the problem, the Indian all-rounder also suffered a quadriceps strain and another leg injury later.
As a result, he missed the white-ball tour of Ireland, England, and Zimbabwe. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar Reddy had suffered a serious injury to his left quadriceps during the final ODI against England at Lord's, which forced him to spend time on the sidelines. Amid this, Jasprit Bumrah injury update: Pacer confirmed for Asian Games comeback.
Washington Sundar inches closer to getting fitness clearance
There is also positive news regarding Washington Sundar. The spin-bowling all-rounder is currently close to completing the fitness tests, as he is training intensely and is expected to be fit soon. Sundar spent the weekend in Chennai and is expected to return to the BCCI Centre of Excellence this week.
Sundar will have to prove his fitness at the BCCI Centre of Excellence this week to be considered for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. However, sources revealed that the all-rounder has very much chance to be named in the T20I squad for the Afghanistan series.
The source shared, “The practical target is the T20Is against Afghanistan, and this will allow Washington Sundar to ease back into the set-up with the shortest format. His workload has gradually increased in the last few weeks, and he could be available for selection for the three T20Is.”
Notably, Sundar had suffered a serious injury to his right hamstring while taking a run during the second ODI against England in Cardiff last month. He was later ruled out of the third and final ODI at Lord’s as well as missed the recent two-match Test series in Sri Lanka.
