India's preparations for the opening T20I against South Africa in Cuttack have been hit by an injury scare to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Just a week after receiving fitness clearance, Hardik, returning from a two-month break due to a left quadriceps injury, skipped India's final training session on Monday, raising concerns ahead of the five-match series.
Hardik sustained his injury during the 2025 Asia Cup and has been carefully managed by the BCCI ever since. He played two Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches for Baroda last week, bowling full spells before leaving early to join the national team in Cuttack. With the 2026 T20 World Cup a few months away, India is relying heavily on Hardik, especially after Nitish Kumar Reddy's poor returns.
On Sunday evening, the all-rounder trained individually at the Barabati Stadium. He went through an extended warm-up, followed by a few bowling drills with throwdown specialists Nuwan Seneviratne and Dayanand Garani. However, after just 20 minutes of bowling, he looked uncomfortable and received treatment for another 20 minutes before resuming batting practice. Meanwhile, on Monday, just a day before the 1st T20I, he was absent from India's final training session. According to reports, Hardik skipped practice only as a precaution and is not carrying any serious niggle.
