India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to play in two of Baroda’s final three Vijay Hazare Trophy league matches in January. He will feature in the matches against Vidarbha on January 3 and Chandigarh on January 8, but will miss the clash against Jammu & Kashmir on January 6 to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed, “Hardik was wishing to turn out in ODIs against New Zealand, but the team think-tank advised him to rest from the series, as they want him in fine fettle for the subsequent T20I series and the all-important T20 World Cup.”
Pandya last played an ODI for India in March during the 2025 Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in Dubai. He, along with ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, is expected to return for India’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which starts in Nagpur on January 21, ahead of the T20 World Cup beginning on February 7. Both Pandya and Bumrah are viewed as crucial to India’s T20 World Cup title defense, although Bumrah has been exempted from participating in the Vijay Hazare Trophy games.
Pandya resumed full all-round duties during India’s 3-1 T20I series victory over South Africa in December after recovering from a quadriceps injury sustained during the Asia Cup Super Fours match against Sri Lanka in September. This injury kept him out of the Asia Cup final against Pakistan and India’s following 2-1 T20I series win in Australia.
India’s ODI squad for the New Zealand series will be announced when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel convenes in the first week of January. Shubman Gill could return to lead the team for matches in Vadodara, Rajkot, and Indore after missing the 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa due to a neck injury.
The selectors will also receive an official update on Shreyas Iyer’s status, who has been training and building his fitness at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Iyer has been sidelined after suffering a serious spleen injury while attempting to take a diving catch of Alex Carey during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney.
Additionally, the selectors are likely to discuss the second keeper position, especially with T20 World Cup-bound Ishan Kishan and Dhruv Jurel performing well, creating stiff competition for the incumbent Rishabh Pant.