Injured India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to miss the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia at home and the series against South Africa (3 T20Is and 3 ODIs) in December, according to reports.
Pandya tore a ligament in his left ankle in the World Cup match against Bangladesh on October 19. Though he was expected to be fit for the later half of the tournament, Pandya was eventually ruled out of the tournament and pacer Prasidh Krishna was named his replacement.
It is not yet known whether Pandya will need a surgery.
In the absence of Pandya - India's T20I captain – it remains to be seen if Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led the second-string side to a gold medal in the Asian Games in October, is made the skipper. Or Suryakumar Yadav, who was Pandya's deputy earlier this year, is given the reins of the team.
Most of the players in the World Cup side are expected to be rested for the Australia series at least. VVS Laxman is likely to be the coach during the Australia series, which will start on November 23 in Vizag. The next four matches will be on November 26, 28, December 1 and 3 in Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Nagpur and Hyderabad respectively.
The South Africa series will have T20Is in Durban, Gqeberha, and Johannesburg on December 10, 12, and 14 respectively. The ODI matches will be in Johannesburg, Gqeberha, and Paarl on December 17, 19, and 21, respectively.
The Boxing Day Test will be played in Centurion and Cape Town will host the second Test from January 3 to 7, 2024.
