Indias star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to miss the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and his bedut season as Mumbai Indians skipper in the 2024 IPL season. Hardik sustained an ankle injury during the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023 against Bangladesh. As of now, no official information has been released but if the news is confirmed, it will be a big jolt for Mumbai Indians, who recently signed Hardik as their new skipper of the tournament.Captaincy in questionAccording to reports, Pandya is unlikely to reach full fitness in time for the Afghanistan T20Is which is going to start on January 11. This raises questions about the captaincy, with Suryakumar Yadav initially tipped as a potential replacement. However, Suryakumar Yadav is suffering from an ankle injury. The ace batter is suffering from a Grade-II tear in his ankle leaving Jasprit Bumrah or Shubman Gill as possible alternative options for the skipper.The 30-year-old had played seven seasons for Mumbai before being released in the 2023 season of IPL. Later, Gujarat Titans signed him as the skipper, who led his side to back- to-back finals, including earning them the trophy in debut season, 2022.Hardik also missed the recently concluded white-ball series of the South Africa tour, as well as the T20I series against Australia on home turf. In his absence, Suryakumar led India to a 4-1 series win over the Kangaroos.Injury impact on World CupWhile the injury forced Pandya out of the World Cup, it paved the way for the ace speedster Mohammed Shamis inclusion, who was the leading wicket-taker of the recently concluded ODI Cricket World Cup. However, Pandyas absence in Afghanistan is a big blow as the allrounder has the ability to smash runs at a brisk rate and scalp wickets in crucial situations.Pandyas Future UncertainWith Rohit Sharma not playing T20Is since the 2022 World Cup semi-final loss, Pandya was seen as the natural successor as captain in the crickets shortest format. This setback in his recovery timeline throws his IPL preparations and captaincy plans into uncertainty.
