Hardik Pandya named in India A squad for One-Day series against Australia A

MUMBAI: Experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named in India A's 15-member squad for the three-match One-Day series against Australia, scheduled to be played in Puducherry from October 6 to 11.

Pandya, whose last ODI appearance for India came at the ICC Men's Champions Trophy final in March 2025, has not played any professional cricket since this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) due to injuries.

The 32-year-old initially missed a part of five-time champions Mumbai Indians' IPL 2026 campaign due to back spasms before suffering a leg strain while training at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru ahead of their ODI series against Afghanistan in June.

Pandya, as a result, missed the home ODI series against Afghanistan and has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE.

With the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 fast approaching, two-time champions India have started the process of slotting back the fast-bowling all-rounder into 50-overs rhythm.

As a result, he was named in the India A squad for their One-Day series against Australia, all three matches of which will be played in Puducherry on October 6, 9 and 11, respectively.

His participation in the upcoming assignment, however, remains subject to fitness clearance.

Besides Pandya, India A squad comprises multiple big names, including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, his deputy Devdutt Padikkal, alongside Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Prabhsimran Singh and Yash Thakur.

India A One-Day squad:

Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (subject to fitness clearance), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur.