New Delhi: Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss the upcoming limited-overs series against Australia due to lower back stiffness, the country's cricket board said Thursday.
India will field a 14-player squad instead of the original 15 for the two Twenty20 matches starting Sunday in Visakhapatnam.
Ravindra Jadeja will replace Pandya for the five one-day internationals that follow the T20s, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.
"The BCCI medical team decided to rest the all-rounder and let him undergo strength and conditioning work for his lower back at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru," it said.
Pandya is expected to be key to India's chances at the World Cup starting May 30 in England.