Dravid’s tenure to be finalised after South Africa tour: Shah

MUMBAI: Injured India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is undergoing intense rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and could be fit for next month’s T20 series against Afghanistan, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said on Saturday.

Hardik had torn ligament of his left ankle while trying to stop a powerful hit off his own bowling during a World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune, ruling him out of the remainder of the tournament.

“We are monitoring it on a day-to-day basis. He is at NCA, he is working very hard and we will let you know in due course the moment he is fit. He could be fit before the Afghanistan series also,” Shah told reporters on the sidelines of the WPL auction here.

While Pandya has been a regular T20 skipper since 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final exit, Shah didn’t want to make any comments on the comeback of Rohit Sharma in the shortest format ahead of T20 World Cup in June-July in the Americas.

“What is the need to have clarity right now? It (T20 World Cup) is starting in June. We have the IPL before that and also the series against Afghanistan,” said Shah.

The turnaround time between World Cup and South Africa tour was so short that despite giving Rahul Dravid and his team extension, the tenure couldn’t be finalised, something that will happen once they are back from the Rainbow Nation, said Shah. “We have given the extension but we are yet to finalise the contract. We did not get time at all, they finished (with the World Cup). I had a meeting with them (Dravid & Co.) and we agreed mutually that they will continue. We will sit down and decide once they return from South Africa,” the secretary said.