Cleared to play just hours ago, Hardik ruled out of Afghanistan series due to quadriceps strain

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was on Wednesday ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan after picking up a fresh quadriceps strain. Pandya was at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to get clearance for his back spasm injury which he sustained in the IPL while playing for the Mumbai Indians. It is learnt that the new injury could be a result of him bowling the full quota of 10 overs at the CoE during the assessment. The ODI series against Afghanistan begins on Saturday at Dharamsala followed by games in Lucknow and Chennai on June 17 and 20 respectively. "With three weeks for recovery, there is absolutely no chance of him playing the ODI series as his rehabilitation will not be complete," said a BCCI source. Pandya had missed a few games in the IPL for MI but returned for the team's final match against Rajasthan Royals on May 24. The latest injury setback to the 32-year-old all-rounder comes at a time when he is being pushed towards playing more ODI cricket with next year's ODI World Cup in mind. A left ankle injury to Pandya in the 2023 ODI World Cup during a first-round clash against Bangladesh had altered the team's balance. Pandya continues to remain integral to India's plans for the mega event in 2027 in South Africa. In order to keep him match-fit for the immediate ODI assignments ahead — three each against Afghanistan and England next month — Pandya was dropped from the Indian T20 side despite being a part of two World Cup-winning campaigns. "He is a part of the one-day squad right now in (the) Afghanistan (series). Like (Jasprit) Bumrah, if we can get him playing well and keep him fit for one-day cricket — I don't think he's played one-day cricket for a while — that is the main objective," chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar had told reporters last week. "We can always bring him back. So, there will be a little bit of rest and rotation with regards to T20 (in Pandya's case)," he had asserted.