IND vs AFG: Suryakumar Yadav leaves Afghanistan T20Is with ankle injury, Hardik Pandya also unlikely

Suryakumar Yadav twisted his ankle while playing against South Africa during the T20I series.

Suryakumar Yadav scored a century against South Africa in T20Is.

New Delhi: Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are all likely to miss the home T20I series against Afghanistan, which starts on January 11. While Suryakumar twisted his ankle while fielding against South Africa during the T20I, Pandya has been out of action. since the ODI World Cup. India will host Afghanistan for a three-match T20I series.

Currently, Suryakumar is world number 1 in T20I batting charts. Suryakumar injured himself in Johannesburg and the tear is expected to take six weeks to heal. “Surya has reported to the NCA for rehabilitation work and the medical science team has declared him injured so far,” a BCCI source told PTI.

“He won’t be able to play against Afghanistan, which starts in three weeks. Since he is unlikely to be selected for Tests, he may play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in February to check his fitness before playing in the IPL,” the source added.

On the other hand, Pandya, who injured himself during India’s match against Bangladesh in the World Cup, has not been active in cricket since then. He missed the T20I series against Australia before also being ruled out of the South Africa tour.

“There is no update on Hardik’s fitness status at the moment and one can say that it remains a big question mark whether he will be available before the end of the IPL,” the source added. In such a situation, the BCCI could ask Rohit Sharma to lead the fight against Afghanistan.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led India to cricket gold at the Asian Games, could have been an option to lead India but the top-order batsman was ruled out of India’s two-match Test series against South Africa after breaking his finger. After India’s series against Afghanistan, India will host England in a five-match Test series.