Team India will be without Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya for the ODI series against South Africa starting November 30. According to PTI, Pandya is still recovering from the quadriceps injury he suffered during the 2025 Asia Cup and will focus exclusively on T20Is until the T20 World Cup. The BCCI medical team believes playing 50-over cricket too soon would be risky.
Pandya is likely to feature in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to prove match fitness before returning for the T20I series against South Africa and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Bumrah will be rested as part of the BCCI’s workload management plan. Since recovering from a major back issue earlier this year, his appearances have been carefully spaced out. He recently played three Tests against England but skipped the Australia ODIs.
The ODI series, concluding on December 6, holds limited long-term significance with the next 50-over World Cup still two years away. Most players are now focused on securing their place for the T20 World Cup scheduled for February–March next year.
