‘Cannot come half-cooked’: Gambhir warns injured India star before ODI comeback

Gautam Gambhir has urged Hardik Pandya to get adequate game time before his India ODI return. (AP Photo)

Hardik Pandya’s prolonged absence has been a major talking point as India enter their final 12 months of preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue will play a three-match series against the West Indies, starting Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. However, Pandya has not been included in the side as he continues to recover from yet another injury setback.

Pandya, who led Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2026 season after lifting his second successive T20 World Cup, missed four matches due to back spasms. He was subsequently ruled out of India’s home ODI series against Afghanistan due to a quadriceps strain. Pandya also missed the subsequent white-ball tour to Ireland and England and was ruled out of the T20I squad for the Asian Games.

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Speaking ahead of the ODI series, India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised Pandya’s value to the side, stressing that the 32-year-old should focus on his comeback only after gaining adequate game time.

“If you talk about Hardik, very few teams have a player like that who can bowl 10 overs for you, plus bat at number six or seven, plus with that impact. But he needs game time as well. Because after the IPL, he hasn’t played a lot of cricket. So if the focus is only that he has to play the 50-over format, then he might be short of cricket. Game time going into the World Cup is going to be extremely, extremely important. You cannot go there half-cooked,” Gambhir told JioHotstar.

“So you should have enough game time; your rhythm should be so good, because going to the World Cup, there are no ifs and buts.”

Pandya has also been omitted from India’s T20I squad for the West Indies, starting October 6. Instead the star all-rounder is expected to turn up for his comeback game with India A during their One-Day series against Australia A in Puducherry between October 6 and 11.