3 players who could benefit most from Hardik Pandya's absence

1. Harshit Rana

Harshit Rana is primarily a seam bowler whose batting has developed to a point where he offers genuine lower-order value. With Pandya absent, the all-rounder role in the pace department becomes more open, and Rana's improved batting makes him a more complete option than before.

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Should he recover from his current injury in time for the 2026 Asian Games, his seam-bowling contributions could prove valuable in that format as well. Like Reddy, Rana was a part of India's Afghanistan T20I squad on the condition that he receives fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence. However, he failed to recover in time and was replaced by Yash Thakur.