Hardik Pandya is reportedly not an automatic pick in India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to the concerns around his fitness. The 30-year-old was snubbed by the BCCI from captaining India in T20Is on the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka, while he wasn’t selected in the ODI squad either after asking for a rest citing personal reasons.
There are only six ODIs remaining for India to play before the Champions Trophy 2025, including three matches in Sri Lanka next month before England arrive to the Indian shores for the same at the start of next year. With limited ODI matches scheduled in preparation for the next ICC tournament, the BCCI will be closely monitoring the fitness of Hardik Pandya in domestic cricket.
A report from the Times of India quotes a BCCI source, who remarked, “While he has done exceptionally well bowling just four overs in T20 cricket after returning from his injury, Hardik hasn’t been tested in longer formats. His endurance needs to be monitored. The selectors will keep a watch on how he goes in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the end of the year.”
“Hardik’s batting has not been as explosive as it used to be. He played well in the T20 World Cup but his true value comes through if he is bowling well and finishing his quota of overs. His last ODI was during the World Cup last year when he got injured. It means he would not have played ODIs for over a year. His workload needs to be monitored,” the source further added.
It was also revealed that the Indian selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar and the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir, were reluctant to hand the leadership role to Hardik Pandya due to the uncertainty around his availability to the team. With that, he wasn’t even appointed as a deputy to either Rohit Sharma in ODIs or Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is, and the role got handed to Shubman Gill instead.