The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has major plans for Hardik Panda. The Mumbai Indians (MI) captain has been part of the Indian team for a decade now and is still the only pace-bowling all-rounder that the side can trust. There’s nobody like him. Alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Pandya is irreplaceable. He only plays white-ball cricket now, and after winning the T20 World Cup 2026, his next target is definitely the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
However, the BCCI has set certain parameters for the dynamic all-rounder. Well, Pandya has been asked to work extra hard in terms of his bowling, and he necessarily needs to keep himself fit enough to bowl his full quota of ten overs in 50-over format. Ever since Pandya went through a lower back surgery in 2019, his workload has been managed carefully. After all, there’s no replacement for him who can do what he does.
Irreplaceable Pandya to be monitored for 10-over fitness
Pandya, under MS Dhoni, started as a lanky, hard-hitting finisher who could double up as a pace bowling option. Then, just like most all-rounders, Pandya took his time to develop and become the match-winner he is right now. He showcased his incredible range hitting in his early years with MI in the IPL but slowly worked his way through pace bowling.
Initially just a hard-length bowler operating at 130s, Pandya now has the abilities of a specialist pacer. Yes, he has his limitations but the Baroda lad has developed into a much more bankable option. He can clock 140s and has now nurtured the habit of extracting swing and seam with the new ball. That’s why his presence will be desperately needed at the 2027 World Cup, where Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be key as well. On some spicy South African pitches, having a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder is a luxury and the Indian management don’t want to risk it with Pandya.
Hence, he has been monitored. But more importantly, he has been asked to maintain his fitness levels at that level so that he can be able to deliver ten overs across all ODI games at the tournament. Kudos to him; the 32-year-old has been working hard for that for the last few months. For those unaware, Pandya didn’t play India’s last ODI series, which was against New Zealand in January, as the BCCI stated that he wasn’t ready to bowl his full quota of overs in a game. That was after Pandya made a comeback after getting sidelined for two months due to a quadriceps injury which he suffered during the Asia Cup 2025.
What does the BCCI feel for Pandya?
Despite bowling across 88 one-day internationals, Pandya has delivered ten overs in a match only 18 times. All these occasions came before his lower back surgery in 2019. While he does sometimes bowl ten overs in Vijay Hazare Trophy games for Baroda, Pandya has averaged just 5.2 overs per match in 35 times he has bowled in ODIs since 2020. At the 2023 World Cup, Pandya was a four-man pace attack alongside two spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Hence, he didn’t need to bowl ten overs before he got ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury.
Hardik Pandya injuries timeline
| Period | Injury Type | Event / Context | Impact & Recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late 2016 | Shoulder / Nets Injury | England Tour of India | Ruled out of the Test squad before making his debut. |
| Sept 2018 | Acute Lower Back | Asia Cup (vs Pakistan) | Stretchered off the field; missed tours of West Indies and Australia. |
| Sept 2019 | Lower Back Recurrence | T20Is vs South Africa | Underwent major back surgery in London (Oct 2019). Sidelined for 5 months. |
| Oct 2023 | Left Ankle Ligament | ODI World Cup (vs Bangladesh) | Ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup. Recovery took 3 months after attempts to rush back aggravated the injury. |
| Sept 2025 | Left Quadricep | Asia Cup (vs Sri Lanka) | Sustained during Super 4s; missed the final and subsequent Australia tour. Required 42 days of rehab. |
Now with the T20 World Cup out of the picture, Pandya’s sole focus is on the ODI World Cup. He has previously stated that he wants to win as many ICC trophies with India as he can. For that, his presence as an all-rounder is crucial for the Men in Blue. As per the Times of India, Pandya reached out to the selectors in January, stating that he has been working hard on his bowling fitness. Now, he just needs to convince the management that he is ready to bowl 10 overs in ODIs regularly.
“Hardik is expected to play a big role in the ODI setup since the World Cup will be played on fast and bouncy pitches in South Africa. He can lend the perfect balance. But he has to convince the selectors and the team management that he will be available to bowl 10 overs,” a BCCI source told TOI.
He may not be required to do so in every match. The captain may end up bowling him for 6-7 overs in most matches. But he should be available if the captain needs more from him. The selectors are also looking at other seam-bowling options. Nitish Kumar Reddy has increased his bowling workload in domestic cricket as well.”
“Hardik has been increasing his workload. He has worked on his action to bowl in-swingers as well without compromising on pace. That’s why he has been entrusted to bowl with the new ball in T20s. He feels his body is ready to cope with the rigours of bowling 10 overs in ODIs. He understands his body well enough and is working towards staying fit to bowl 10 overs,” the source claimed.
| Mat | Inns | Overs | Wkts | BBI | Avg | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94 | 88 | 576.4 | 91 | 4/24 | 35.50 | 5.60 | 38.0 |
