Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana injury update: Return date, reason for delay in recovery and will India duo play New Zealand series
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Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana injury update: Return date, reason for delay in recovery and will India duo play New Zealand series originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India ace Hardik Pandya has developed right calf pain, and his match simulation has been stopped, which pushes back his return to the India squad.
- An MRI showed very mild intramedullary oedema consistent with right medial tibial stress syndrome.
- Harshit Rana's rehabilitation has also slowed because of a sore throat and fever, after a low-grade left quadriceps strain found on September 7.
Will Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana play against New Zealand? Latest injury status and recovery timeline
Hardik Pandya's comeback to the Indian team has been delayed once again, and the latest update from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) suggests that his return is not close.
The all-rounder, who has been away from cricket for a long time, has developed discomfort in his right calf, while fast bowler Harshit Rana has also faced a setback in his own rehabilitation.
According to CoE sources, reported by Dainik Jagran, Hardik had completed all of his bowling, batting and fielding workloads and finished a match simulation on September 17 without any symptoms. However, he felt pain in his right calf during another simulation on September 19.
An MRI scan then showed very mild intramedullary oedema, which is consistent with right medial tibial stress syndrome, and the simulation was stopped as a precaution.
Hardik has been advised to undergo bisphosphonate therapy and to take Vitamin D for six to eight weeks. His rehabilitation will restart with low-load exercises, and the workload will then increase step by step towards running, practice and full sporting activity.
The CoE has not given a return date, so his availability for the New Zealand series remains uncertain.
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(getty)
Why has Harshit Rana's recovery been delayed?
Harshit's rehabilitation has been slowed by a sore throat and fever. He had earlier complained of a strain in his left quadriceps during a match simulation on September 7, and an MRI of both thighs revealed a low-grade strain.
He was advised three weeks of controlled loading before a gradual return to play, and he was scheduled to start bowling this week, with the workload to rise according to how well he tolerates it.
Harshit appears closer to a return, since he was due to restart bowling, but the illness has interrupted his plan.
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(getty)
India should not rush either Hardik or Harshit back
India's medical staff are right to be cautious, and the selectors should resist any temptation to hurry these two. Hardik had passed a simulation without symptoms on September 17, and the pain came only two days later. That sequence shows how easily a player can break down when the workload rises, and a stress-related calf problem can turn into a serious one if it is ignored.
For a player of his importance, a few extra weeks of treatment are a small price. A half-fit Hardik, unable to bowl his full quota, helps nobody, and the team already has a long calendar that will demand his best.
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The same argument applies to Harshit, whose quadriceps strain is low-grade but needs patient handling. A sore throat and fever are minor, yet they remind everyone that the build-up should follow the body, not the schedule.
There is also a bigger lesson about workload management. Both players broke down during match simulations, which suggests that the step from training to match intensity is where the risk lies. India would do well to keep that stage gradual in future.
If the New Zealand series comes too soon, it should be treated as a bonus rather than a target. A fully fit pair in the months ahead matters far more than two rushed appearances.
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