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Premier India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is expected to sit on the sidelines for an extended period due to an injury, and as a result, he is all but out of the upcoming tour of Australia, where the side will play three ODIs and five T20Is. According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the Mumbai Indians skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been advised rest for four weeks after the 31-year-old suffered an injury in the Asia Cup Super 4s contest against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium.
This injury led to Hardik missing the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, with Rinku Singh coming in as the replacement for the summit clash. According to the report, Hardik has a left quadriceps injury and hence it’s unlikely that he will be available for the entire Australia tour, beginning October 19 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Even if Hardik recovers faster than expected, he would still be missing the upcoming three-match ODI series, which will potentially mark the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after the duo announced their retirements from Test cricket earlier this year. The five-match T20I series will begin on October 29 at the Manuka Oval in Hobart, and only time will tell if Hardik recovers in time for this contest.
The BCCI Medical Team will soon issue a report to the team management, and it will then be clear regarding Hardik’s future course of action. During commentary for the Asia Cup final, former Team India coach Ravi Shastri provided information, stating that Hardik has a quadriceps (front thigh muscle) injury.
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Hardik bowled just one over in the Super 4s match against Sri Lanka, and he walked off the field after witnessing pain. He did not return for the remainder of the match and subsequently missed the contest against Pakistan.
Hardik’s performance in the Asia Cup
The pacer shared the new ball in the tournament with Jasprit Bumrah. In the six matches he played in the 2025 edition of the eight-team tournament, Hardik returned with four wickets and scored 48 runs with the bat, with his highest score being 38 against Bangladesh in the Super 4s.
Speaking of the Asia Cup final, Tilak Varma played a knock of 69* off 53 balls to help India chase down the target of 147 with five wickets in hand and two balls to spare. Pakistan had India in a spot of bother at 20/3 with Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill back in the hut but Tilak along with Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh ensured India’s ninth Asia Cup win.
