Hardik Pandya is set to make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket in October after being included in India A’s squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A. The 32-year-old all-rounder has not played competitive cricket since the 2026 Indian Premier League, and his participation in the Australia A matches will depend on his fitness.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India A squads for the upcoming white-ball and red-ball assignments on Wednesday. Devdutt Padikkal has been named captain for the two unofficial Tests in Puducherry, while he will also serve as Ruturaj Gaikwad’s deputy in the three one-day matches.

Padikkal earned the opportunity after producing back-to-back centuries in Sri Lanka last month. His strong performances have also strengthened his position within India’s wider red-ball setup.

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Tamil Nadu batter B Sai Sudharsan has been included in the squad for the two unofficial Tests after missing the recent Test series in Sri Lanka because of injury. He will act as Padikkal’s deputy in the red-ball fixtures.

The red-ball squad also features Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj and Praful Hinge. Hinge attracted significant attention during IPL 2026 after making an impression for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

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India A squad announced for home series against Australia A, comprising two multi-day matches and three one-day games in Puducherry.

Details 🔽https://t.co/qv3pB2OLhj pic.twitter.com/svfhQbnEoV

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 9, 2026

For the one-day series, Hardik will join Gaikwad, Padikkal, Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Priyansh Arya, Naman Dhir and Prabhsimran Singh. The squad also includes Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam and Gurjapneet Singh.

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The two unofficial Tests will be played from September 22 to 25 and September 29 to October 2 in Puducherry. The same venue will host the three one-day matches on October 6, 9 and 11. Hardik’s inclusion will be closely monitored, with his fitness set to determine whether the India star finally returns to competitive action.

Schedule of India A vs Australia series