The Board of Control for Cricket in India has omitted all-rounder Hardik Pandya from the upcoming white-ball series against West Indies to enforce strict bowling workload requirements.
India host three ODIs and five T20 internationals between 27 September and 17 October.
The 50-over matches visit Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and New Chandigarh, before the revised T20 squad completes the calendar across five further cities.
Pandya has not played since the 2026 Indian Premier League following ongoing injury concerns.
While he is scheduled for a clearance test on 20 September, selectors refused to issue a provisional selection.
Strict Bowling Workload Criteria
Administrators require the all-rounder to complete his maximum allocation during the India A series against Australia A in Puducherry from 6 October.
According to the Hindustan Times, the committee determined that “not six overs but Pandya will only be included when he starts bowling the full quota of 10 overs.”
To guarantee seam-bowling depth within their new-look ODI line-up, selectors withdrew Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Asian Games group.
Reddy joins Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi, who both received maiden 50-over call-ups to a senior side led by captain Shubman Gill.
Should Pandya clear his domestic workload parameters, he could return for the New Zealand fixtures in November.
