Bengaluru: Cricketer Hardik Pandya on the sidelines of the first day of the first unofficial Test cricket match between India A and South Africa A at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) (PTI10_30_2025_000524A) NEW DELHI: India’s leading all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to return to competitive cricket later this month and will feature for his state Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Pandya is nearing match fitness at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru and if everything stays on track, he will feature in the very first match of the tournament. It is understood that even in the worst-case scenario, he should be back on the park for the team’s second game.
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The home T20 tournament begins on November 26 with Baroda playing their games in Hyderabad.It was further learned that there will be no break for Pandya and he will head straight to Hyderabad after getting the Return to Play (RTP) from the CoE. India’s three-match ODI series against South Africa begins on November 30 and Pandya could well play at least one competitive match before donning the India jersey again.The 32-year-old has struggled in Bengaluru in recent weeks and is very close to match fitness after injuring his left quadriceps during the Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka. The injury forced him to miss the final against arch-rivals Pakistan and he has been out of competitive cricket ever since. He missed the ODI and T20Is series in Australia but is on track to play in the white-ball matches against the visiting Proteas.
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India will play three ODIs in Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam on 30 November, 3 December and 6 December. Attention will then shift to the five T20Is starting on December 9 in Cuttack.
