IND vs SA 2025: India Likely to Rest Hardik and Bumrah for South Africa ODIs as Focus Shifts to T20 World Cup

India and South Africa will move from the Test series into a three-match ODI contest, but the hosts are expected to miss two of their biggest names. Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah may skip the 50-over games as India prepares for a busy T20 season.

Hardik is still recovering from his quadriceps injury and has been working at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He picked up the injury during the Asia Cup T20 last September and even missed the final against Pakistan. The medical team wants him to regain strength slowly.

A board source said, “Hardik is recovering well. He is doing his Return To Play routines. Straightaway playing 50 overs will be risky, so the focus will stay on T20Is till the World Cup.”

Bumrah might also sit out of the ODIs. Team management feels that 50-over cricket is not a priority right now, and keeping him fresh for the T20 World Cup is more important. India are the defending champions after lifting the 2026 title under Rohit Sharma. Hardik and Bumrah were both match winners during that campaign and played major roles in a tense final against South Africa.

South Africa have added Lungi Ngidi to their squad for the upcoming Guwahati Test. The ODI series will follow the second Test, and the tour will finish with a five-match T20I series starting on December 9 in Cuttack.

India’s approach shows that the coming months are all about careful workload management. Hardik’s recovery plan and Bumrah’s possible rest underline how much the team values fitness ahead of the World Cup. With a long T20 run ahead, the selectors do not want to take chances.

The team wants both players fully ready when the most important tournament arrives. Their fitness and form have often made the difference in tight matches, and the management wants to protect that advantage.