Hardik Pandya Injury Update: Star Cricketer Begins Rehab, Expected to Return in November

Over the past ten years, no Indian cricketer has been hit by injuries quite like Hardik Pandya. Unfortunately, he faced another setback during the Asia Cup 2025. In the match against Sri Lanka, which had no bearing on the tournament outcome, Pandya hurt his quadriceps.

This injury not only ruled him out of the final against Pakistan but also forced him to miss India’s ongoing white-ball tour of Australia. The injury meant that the team management had to hand a maiden ODI cap to Nitish Reddy in the first ODI in Perth, with the young all-rounder filling in for the experienced Pandya. 

Hardik Pandya Suffers Another Injury Setback, Eyes Return for South Africa Series

On a brighter note, Hardik Pandya is expected to return in time for India’s white-ball series against South Africa at home, starting late next month. India will play three ODIs and five T20Is against the Proteas from November 30, and it looks likely that the 32-year-old all-rounder will be fully fit for the series. According to The Times of India, Pandya is expected to spend the next four weeks at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, to return to full fitness towards the end of November.

“It is understood that the premier all-rounder will not be needing surgery for the quadriceps injury and has already commenced his rehabilitation under the watchful eyes of the BCCI's medical team,” the TOI report read.

“The 32-year-old checked into CoE last week but took a few days break for Diwali festivities. He resumed his training on Wednesday and is determined to regain complete match fitness for the series against South Africa. The timeline of his return was chalked out by the medical team last week, and the initial assessment didn't raise any major concerns,” the report further stated.

Pandya stayed fit through both the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2024 T20 World Cup, and India won both tournaments without losing a single game. However, his injury mid-way through the 2023 ODI World Cup proved fatal for the team, as they were unable to find the ideal balance. It eventually cost them dearly in the final, as they suffered a crushing defeat in front of 100,000 home supporters at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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