Why is Hardik Pandya not in India's T20I squads? Ajit Agarkar clarifies

Hardik Pandya has not been named in any of India's T20I squads. The Men in Blue are set to play T20I matches against Ireland and England before competing in the Asian Games. The Baroda all-rounder had a disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, as the Mumbai Indians (MI), under his leadership, finished ninth on the points table. Hardik's performances with bat and ball were also underwhelming.

On Saturday, June 6, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced India's squads for the T20I assignments against Ireland, England, and the highly-anticipated Asian Games. While the development of Shreyas Iyer replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain in the shortest format is dominating headlines, Hardik's absence from each of the squads is another important topic of debate.

After announcing the team to the media, Agarkar answered questions regarding the selection calls. While talking about Hardik's absence, the former India pacer said that the 32-year-old has been picked for the ODI squad to face Afghanistan and in the shortest format, the selectors are keen on giving him adequate rest by adopting the rotation policy.

"With regards to Hardik, he's part of the ODI squad. There will be some rest and rotation with regards to T20I, with WC 18 months away, he gives us a lot of balance. If he's bowling well enough, we'll assess how he goes," Agarkar said.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia informed that Hardik is currently at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he is going through a rehabilitation programme. He will soon be going for the final test.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has been picked in the side and is expected to fill Hardik's shoes in the upcoming T20I assignments. The Andhra Pradesh all-rounder had a brilliant outing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026.

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Reddy amassed 302 runs in 14 matches at an average of 30.20 and a strike rate of 171.59. His bowling looked sharp as well. The 23-year-old added a bit of pace to his repertoire and finished with eight wickets at an average of 40.38. It seems that the BCCI selectors are willing to give Reddy a long run in T20I cricket.