Hardik ruled out against England. Kohli undergoes fitness test (Image: X)
Mumbai: All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of India’s three-match ODI series in July due to a quadriceps injury, while superstar Virat Kohli is likely to be selected for the series under a ‘subject to fitness’ clause and will undergo a fitness test at the BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru on June 22, TOI has learnt.The team for the ODI series in England, scheduled to be held from July 14-19, will be selected soon. The three ODIs are scheduled to be played on July 14 in Birmingham, July 16 in Cardiff and July 19 at Lord’s. “The team will be selected within 3-4 days,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told this newspaper two days ago. “Hardik has not been able to achieve the required amount of bowling volume and conditioning required for the ODI format and will require more time to regain full fitness for the ODI,” a BCCI source told TOI on Saturday. “Kohli is progressing well after injuring his right hamstring in IPL-2026, while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was assessed by the CoE team in London and handed over the program to continue with the initial phase of rehabilitation. He will report to the CoE on June 22 for further re-evaluation and clearance,” the source revealed.
Hardik missed the ongoing ODI series at home against Afghanistan due to a quadriceps injury.
The 32-year-old has been training at the CoE since June 2, and is now undergoing rehabilitation there after suffering a quadriceps injury. Hardik is a key part of Team India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In order to enable him to stay fit and active for the ODIs, the selectors have left him out of the T20I squad, but the Mumbai Indians skipper will now have to wait for some time before returning to the format for the first time since the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai on March 8. The 37-year-old Kohli had to miss the ongoing home ODI series against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury, with he being replaced by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The star bat offers tele-consultations to renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Dinshu Pardiwala, who is based at Kokilaben Dhrubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and is a consultant orthopedic surgeon for BCCI. Kohli suffered a hamstring injury during his unbeaten 75-run knock off 42 balls in the IPL final, helping RCB chase down 156 against Gujarat Titans and lift them to their second successive IPL title.
