Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the team should stop looking for a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya, stressing that the star all-rounder is irreplaceable. Instead, he wants India to identify players who can perform different roles and help maintain the team’s balance.

Gavaskar also highlighted the need to strengthen India’s bowling attack. He feels the team should play at least four specialist bowlers, with the fifth and sixth bowling options coming from all-rounders who can also contribute with the bat.

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India should not weaken their bowling resources simply to add more depth to the batting line-up, Gavaskar suggested.

Where Is Hardik Pandya?

Hardik Pandya is currently recovering from an injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The all-rounder has missed India’s subsequent assignments as he continues his rehabilitation.

Hardik last played for India in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on March 8, 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

His absence has left India looking for options who can provide a similar balance with both bat and ball. However, Gavaskar believes the team should focus on finding players who can fulfil specific roles rather than expecting someone to match Hardik’s all-round abilities.

Hardik Pandya Misses New Zealand Tour

Hardik has also been left out of India’s squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. The tour features five T20Is, followed by five ODIs and two Test matches, with the first match scheduled to begin on October 22.

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India's white-ball squads for New Zealand series

India’s ODI squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna*, Kuldeep Yadav

India’s ODI squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav

India's T20I squad for New Zealand series: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav