Star all-arounder Hardik Pandya will not be traveling to South Africa with India since he is still recovering from an injury to his left ankle sustained on October 19, 2023, in Pune during India’s ODI World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh.
In the Rainbow Nation, India will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. The multi-format series will begin with the first T20I, which is scheduled for Sunday, December 10, at Durban. He should therefore be prepared for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled for January 11–17.
Hardik Pandya will require an additional four weeks to return to full fitness, according to sources.
According to a previous report, Rohit Sharma would be asked to rejoin the Indian T20I team and take on the captaincy during the three-match series against the Proteas by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). According to a BCCI source, the Mumbai hitter will captain the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup of 2024 if he accepts. Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently captaining India in a five-match Twenty20 International series against Australia, will lead the side in South Africa if he doesn’t.
“Yes, there is still uncertainty about what will happen when Hardik returns, but according to the BCCI, Rohit would captain the team in the T20 World Cup if he accepted to lead in T20Is. OneCricket cited a BCCI insider as saying, “If Rohit doesn’t agree, Surya will continue to captain the T20Is in South Africa.”
On Thursday, November 30, the BCCI is anticipated to reveal the white-ball teams for the South Africa tour. December could see the announcement of the test team. It has been claimed that Virat Kohli has decided to take a one-year sabbatical from white-ball cricket. This practically means he can’t play against South Africa in the ODIs or T20Is. But he should be back for the Test series, which starts on Tuesday, December 26 in Centurion with the Boxing Day Test.
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