Hardik Pandya has chosen to rehabilitate using the new performance block programme by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The all-rounder is there to recover from a quadriceps injury and aims to improve his skills rather than rush back to International cricket.
Reports indicate that Hardik is not the first to benefit from the performance block programme. Bowler Harshit Rana, who recently returned to the Indian squad, was the first player to come back after following the programme. The BCCI has created a dedicated coaching team to support players in this initiative.
“The CoE was mainly for rehabilitation of international cricketers. Previously, cricket programmes were limited to age-group and zonal camps. Now, Indian players can visit anytime for specialized sessions to work on specific skills. A dedicated coaching team will support them. An injured player will only be deemed fit to play for India when they perform at their best,” a BCCI source told TOI.
Hardik out for England series
Due to his rehabilitation, Hardik will not be part of the Indian team for the tour of England. He was first ruled out of the T20I squad and later excluded from the ODI squad as well, which suggests he may return to cricket during the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in August.
Hardik arrived at the Centre of Excellence to recover from back spasms sustained during the IPL with the Mumbai Indians. However, he incurred a quadriceps injury during rehab, sidelining him from the home series against Afghanistan and at least two additional important white-ball series for India.