MOHALI: As the evening sun went down here on Wednesday, Nitish Kumar Reddy was the first to mark his run-up at the centre square. Rohit Sharma, cleared by the BCCI medical team, took stance in one of the four nets. Allrounder Reddy has become the centre of attention after it emerged in the morning that Hardik Pandya had developed a low grade quadriceps strain a day before joining India’s ODI team ahead of the series against Afghanistan.
Two days ago, India’s assistant batting coach Sitanshu Kotak conveyed to the media that both Hardik and Rohit were reportedly fine to play in the series. Hardik, it is learnt, had dispelled doubts about his ability to bowl 10 overs at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. His data was shared with the BCCI and team management before he felt discomfort in his quadriceps on Tuesday morning.
Concerns Over Hardik's Fitness
India have about 25-30 ODIs before the World Cup in Oct-Nov next year. Sources told TOI that the team management is getting edgy about Hardik’s ability to remain fit. “The team doesn’t want to get caught in a situation where they don’t have a seam-bowling allrounder ready this close to the World Cup. There have been discussions where they wanted to prepare for life without Hardik,” BCCI sources said.
Harshit Rana's Selection
Incidentally, Harshit Rana was picked for the T20I teams even before the CoE had cleared him after a layoff post a knee surgery. Rana is yet to undergo the match simulation tests. The test is likely to be scheduled around June 19 while the team travels to Ireland on June 22.
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