All-rounder Hardik Pandya rested for the Sri Lanka Tests

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been rested for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka that starts at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 16. The decision was taken to negate any chances of an injury to the all-rounder, who has been playing non-stop cricket since the start of the year.

In the meantime, HArdik will undergo a period of strength and conditioning at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The selectors didn't name any replacement for Hardik and in all likelihood, Rohit Sharma will be back in the Test XI at number six after he was overlooked during the Sri Lanka series.

"The All-India Senior Selection Committee in consultation with the Indian team management has decided to rest all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the upcoming Paytm Test series against Sri Lanka. Mr Pandya was named in the squad for the first two Tests. Considering Mr Pandya’s heavy recent workload, the decision was made to negate any possibility of a major injury concern. Mr Pandya will undergo a period of strength and conditioning at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru," BCCI said in a Press Release.

Hardik made his Test debut against the Lankans when the Indian team toured the island nation earlier this year and cemented his place in the team by scoring a fifty and a hundred with the bat and picked up few wickets with the ball.

In the recently concluded third T20I against New Zealand, Hardik tried to stop a ball from Colin de Grandhomme's bat from going to the boundary in the last over of the game and felt some discomfort immediately. He somehow managed to finish the over and hand India a six-run win. There are chances that Hardik might still be feeling the discomfort and that is the reason why the team management didn't want to take a risk by playing him in the Test series.

Squad for the first two Tests: Virat Kohli (Captain), KL Rahul, M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (Vice-Captain), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma.