BENGALURU, June 9 — Senior Indian cricketers Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been declared fit to participate in the upcoming three-match One Day International series against Afghanistan starting June 13 in Dharamsala. The Sports Science Team at the Board of Control for Cricket in India Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru issued the necessary medical clearances on Tuesday following mandatory fitness assessments.
The clearance resolves intense speculation surrounding the availability of the duo, both of whom missed multiple fixtures for the Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2026 season due to physical setbacks. Pandya had been sidelined with back spasms, while Sharma managed a hamstring injury that limited his recent IPL appearances to an impact substitute role.
The players followed a structured rehabilitation timeline at the premier facility before undergoing their final evaluations. Confirming the development, an official administrative source from the cricket board stated:
“Rohit and Hardik have been given the necessary clearance. Both players have been given the go-ahead and will feature in the series against Afghanistan.”
The medical updates follow previous remarks by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, who noted over the weekend that all recovering athletes must systematically secure clear certificates from the Bengaluru medical staff before returning to international selection. National batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also noted post-match on Monday that while administrative confirmation was pending at the time, the management expected both senior players to successfully complete their scheduled screenings.
While the return of Sharma and Pandya strengthens the national squad, former captain Virat Kohli remains unavailable for the selection cycle. Kohli sustained a hamstring injury during the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans, prompting selectors to name Yashasvi Jaiswal as his replacement for the Afghanistan fixtures, with the remaining matches scheduled for Lucknow on June 17 and Chennai on June 20.
