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India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been surprisingly overlooked for the upcoming T20I assignments. On Saturday, June 6, Hardik Pandya was missed out on selection in India’s squad for the upcoming England and Ireland tours as well as for the Asian Games in 2026.
The Indian national cricket team is all set to play three T20I matches in Ireland, five T20I matches in England, and then travel to Japan for the Asian Games 2026 under the new captain Shreyas Iyer.
Ajit Agarkar reveals why Hardik Pandya was left out of India's T20I squads
There were some fitness and form concerns around Hardik Pandya after Mumbai Indians’ poor IPL 2026 campaign. Even the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has confirmed that the star all-rounder is already at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, which raised serious concerns as soon as the T20I squads were announced for the overseas tours.
Well, the Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar has explained the reasons behind the decision to rest Pandya for the upcoming T20I games against Ireland, England, and in the Asian Games.
Agarkar said that the Indian team management and selectors want Hardik to focus on ODI cricket and stay fit for the ICC World Cup 2027. Since Hardik has not played much 50-over cricket recently, the team management wants him to get back into rhythm and manage his workload at the same time.
We can always bring Hardik Pandya back: Ajit Agarkar
The chief selector further noted that this decision gives younger players like Nitish Kumar Reddy a chance to gain experience in T20I cricket and hinted that Hardik can be brought back into the T20I team later if needed.
Ajit Agarkar said at the press conference: “With regard to Hardik, he’s part of the one-day squad right now for Afghanistan. Like we said, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket—I don’t think he’s played one-day cricket for a while—that is, at this point, the main objective.
We can always bring him back. It also gives us an opportunity to give someone like Nitish Reddy a few opportunities in T20 cricket. So, there will be a little bit of rest and rotation with regards to T20 cricket.”
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Ajit Agarkar reveals India's bigger World Cup plan for Hardik Pandya
The selectors believe Hardik is a very important player because he provides balance with both bat and ball. And Agarkar said that their main goal is to keep him fit, bowling regularly, and performing well in ODI cricket, as he is in their plans for the ICC World Cup 2027.
He signed off by saying, “The main objective is to see if he can start playing well and stay healthy for 50-over cricket, with the World Cup about a year and a half away. He gives us a lot of balance. The World Cup is in South Africa and, if he’s bowling well enough, we’ll assess how we go over the next few months.”
On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has also been rested for the upcoming Ireland and England tours to manage his workload, but he will be available for the Asian Games 2026.
