XtraTime Web Desk: Blow for India as its ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss the nation’s last few 50-over games before the World Cup, after he was ruled out from the T20Is & ODIs against Australia which is set to begin from January 24.
“Team India all-rounder Mr. Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the forthcoming T20I & ODI series against Australia due to lower back stiffness,” BCCI said in its release.
“The BCCI Medical team decided to rest the all-rounder and let him undergo strength and conditioning work for his lower back at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Mr. Pandya will begin his strength work from next week, the cricket board added.
In the absence of Pandya; the BCCI has named Ravindra Jadeja as his replacement for the five-match ODI series. The T20I team, however, will now only have 14 members.
The two-match T20I series begins on Sunday, February 24 in Visakhapatnam, while the 50-over contests begin March 3 in Hyderabad.