Hardik Pandya to be rested for Sri Lanka Tests

The star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to be rested for the upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The replacement for the youngster hasn’t been named by the selectors. Pandya instead, will undergo the strength conditioning at National Cricket Academy. He has been playing continuously since making the debut and the decision has been taken to avoid any major injury ahead of the important tour of South Africa in January.

Pandya made his debut in whites earlier this year during the tour of Sri Lanka and played all the three matches of the series. He impressed with both bat and ball to prove his worth in the longest format of the game. The 24-year-old also slammed his maiden Test century on the tour and announced himself in the format. Also, he is being groomed for the World Cup in 2019 in England in ODIs. He has taken giant strides in International cricket and is only improving since his debut.

Injury concern for Pandya?

The decision of resting Hardik Pandya has been taken by the selectors after consulting the team management. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the statement which stated that he has been rested to negate any injury and considering his recent workload. “Considering Mr Pandya’s heavy recent workload, the decision was made to negate any possibility of a major injury concern. Mr Pandya will undergo a period of strength at conditioning at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru,” the statement read.

Interestingly, Pandya was hit at the hand very hardly by Colin de Grandhomme during the last over of the third and final T20I against New Zealand. He was in a lot of pain at that time but delivered the complete to script a series victory for India. The step to rest him just seems to be a precautionary measure as the team will be on the road for the most of 2018. The first Test against will be played in Kolkata at Eden Gardens on November 16.

Here’s the updated squad: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-Captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.