Reports | Hardik Pandya set to miss T20Is against Bangladesh owing to back injury

Team India have been dealt a body blow ahead of the home season, with Hardik Pandya set to be ruled out for a considerable while due to a lower back injury. According to reports, the all-rounder will fly to the United Kingdom for further assessment of his back injury which is all set to rule him out of action for the T20Is against Bangladesh. The injury was sustained during the Asia Cup in Dubai last year. Further details on the injury are set to be revealed once the 25-year-old is back from Europe.

“Hardik is also set to go the United Kingdom to consult the same doctor, who had treated him during the first injury post-Asia Cup. He is certainly not playing the Bangladesh series but how long he will be out is still not clear. We will know after he comes back from the United Kingdom,” stated a senior BCCI official to PTI.

Germany was also another place which was shortlisted for his treatment but the BCCI prefers to consult doctors in the UK. He is the second player after Jasprit Bumrah to be ruled out of action from the near future owing to injury. However, reports suggest that his exclusion from the Tests against South Africa has nothing to do with the injury and was purely a tactical move from the selectors.

“Hardik was left out of Test squad as he didn’t fit in the combinations. But then he is not in Baroda’s Vijay Hazare team led by Krunal (Pandya). Everyone is keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that he doesn’t need to go under the knife. Then he won’t be back before the 2020 IPL,” added the source.