Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif said he is not sure if Hardik Pandya would be part of India’s 2027 ODI World Cup squad because of injury concerns. Pandya recently missed the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan because of an injury.
The star all-rounder is also ruled out of the England ODIs. Pandya also missed a few matches for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026 because of fitness woes (back spasm).
Pandya scored 206 runs in 10 matches at an average of 22.89 and a strike rate of 138.25 in IPL 2026. Furthermore, he could only pick four wickets in 10 games at a high economy rate of 11.42. Thus, he could not deliver consistently for the franchise.
Kaif also called out the selectors and team management for not being transparent about Pandya’s injury.
“I cannot take the guarantee of him. Even I do not understand his case. He is such a big match-winner. No one is close to him as an all-rounder in the current lot. He also knows this. But his body is fragile. He was injured in 2023 as well, and after that it has not been the same. There are no talks about his injury and any proper reasons given, though. I do not know what is being said or what the official reason is. You tell me if you know. We only know through sources,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
“Fans also have the right to know exactly what has happened, and we need more transparency. This has been the case with Hardik throughout his career. There are always questions about his injury as to what has happened exactly and why he is missing out,” he added.
Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal could not make the cut in India’s squad for England ODIs however, Kaif is confident that the left-hander would get his opportunities with time and he will be an all-format player for India.
“Jaiswal will play. He will be an all-format player. His time will come too. Agarkar had said they can select only 15 players, and I agree with him. We have a lot of solid players, and a few people will always miss out like this. They had to pick either Jaiswal or Ishan Kishan. Kishan got the nod because he can bat in the middle as well. Jaiswal is a proper opener. And Kishan can be a backup wicket-keeper as well. Also, Gambhir wants Kishan to be there. That liking is there too. I said this the last time as well. His form is good too, so I agree with the call. Jaiswal will have to wait a bit,” he stated.
India will play three ODIs against England.
