Suryansh Shedge has replaced Hardik Pandya in the India A squad for the three-match one-day series against Australia A, according to a Times of India report. The matches will be played on October 6, 9 and 11 at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground.
Shedge, 23, was cleared by the medical team at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after recovering from a quadriceps injury. He has since travelled to Puducherry to join Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side.
For Hardik, this series was supposed to be the way back. Gautam Gambhir had made India A game time the condition for his return to the national side.
🚨 REPORTS 🚨
Suryansh Shedge has been named as Hardik Pandya’s replacement in the India A squad for the One-Day series against Australia A. 🇮🇳🔥
(Source – TOI)
#Cricket #India #Sportskeeda https://t.co/mwUQycZFPC
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 4, 2026
The runs Shedge scores in Puducherry will make the headlines. What selectors will actually count is his overs, and that is a harder audition than it looks.
Hardik could not complete a 10-over bowling quota in his first fitness test on September 17. Two days later, he felt discomfort in his right calf during a second test.
An MRI found mild swelling inside the right shin bone, consistent with medial tibial stress syndrome. TOI reports he has been advised six to eight weeks of rest.
Gambhir had already set out what the India A series was meant to prove:
“But again, Hardik, at the moment, if he cannot bowl ten overs and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL, we don’t want to push him into international cricket.”
Gautam Gambhir, speaking to ESPNcricinfo after the Afghanistan series, September 17, 2026
The 32-year-old has not played competitive cricket since IPL 2026. His last ODI was the Champions Trophy final in March 2025.
Shedge is a right-handed batter who bowls right-arm medium pace. He made his T20I debut against Ireland in Belfast on June 28, 2026, and has played three T20Is.
| Competition | Numbers |
|---|---|
| India A tri-series, Sri Lanka (June 2026) | 147 runs, 23 overs in 5 matches |
| Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 | 131 runs at a strike rate of 251.92 |
| T20Is for India | 3 matches |
The call-up means he misses Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Chandigarh on October 11.
Insider Read
Selectors already know Shedge can hit a ball. In Puducherry, they will watch the ball in his hand. Twenty-three overs across five tri-series games is fewer than five a match: a bowler used in bursts, not one trusted with a full spell.
The real examination comes after the 30th over, when the ball is soft and the batters are set. The sixth, seventh and eighth overs of a spell show whether a batting all-rounder can hold his length or starts hunting wickets with variations. Hardik’s place was there to prove he could still bowl that full quota, and Shedge now faces the same test straight after a quadriceps injury.
What’s Next for Hardik Pandya
India’s T20I series against New Zealand starts on October 22, and the five-match ODI series follows from November 4. Reports have already placed his availability for New Zealand in doubt.
Beyond that sits the 2027 ODI World Cup, and he has still not shown he can bowl 10 overs.
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