Hardik Pandya suffers fresh injury setback ahead of Afghanistan series

Hardik Pandya's return to competitive cricket has suffered another setback after he developed a leg niggle during rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The all-rounder had been progressing well before the latest discomfort forced him to stop bowling temporarily.

Pandya has been ruled out of India's three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting September 13 in New Delhi. He remains under observation by the medical team.

The injury adds to concerns within the team management about his fitness ahead of future white-ball assignments.