Hardik Pandya to feature in DY Patil T20 tournament
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya is all set to feature in the DY Patil T20 tournament which began on Monday. The 26-year-old suffered a severe lower back injury five months ago and underwent surgery in London. Hardik played his last international in 2019 (against South Africa). He was expected to make his comeback in the ongoing New Zealand tour but wasn't deemed fit.
Pandya has been out of action since September 2019
Pandya first sustained the injury during the Asia Cup 2018, but later recovered from it. However, the injury resurfaced post World Cup 2019. Although he was set to return in India A's tour of New Zealand, he was withdrawn later as he didn't recover. Pandya has featured in two T20Is since World Cup 2019, while he hasn't played Test cricket since 2018.
Hardik underwent a successful back surgery in England
Pandya travelled to London on October 2 with Team India physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar for a surgery. The all-rounder was expected to be out for a minimum period of 12-16 weeks (3-4 months) following the surgery, he will be eyeing the upcoming IPL edition. A panel of spine specialists in England recommended "surgery for a long-term solution of this issue," BCCI issued a medical bulletin.
Other Indian players besides Hardik will also play
A total of 16 teams will stake a claim for the trophy with the final to be held on March 6. The likes of Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik will also feature in the tournament. "The Reliance 1 (team) would be represented by players like Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshvar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan," said Vijay Patil.
The duo hasn't played for India in a while
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who made a comeback for India in the West Indies T20I series was ruled out from the ODI series that followed, owing to a groin injury. Later on, a BCCI team found discovered his hernia symptoms. He recently underwent his hernia operation and has recovered. Besides, Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the Australia ODI series last month due to shoulder injury.
