Asia Cup 2025: Hardik Pandya can become 1st India player to unique milestone if selected for Asia Cup

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Hardik Pandya's selection for the Asia Cup 2025 is currently contingent upon the results of a routine fitness assessment he is scheduled to undergo at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru on August 11 and 12.

This fitness test is a crucial determinant for the selectors to finalize the Indian squad for the upcoming tournament starting from September 9, 2025.

Pandya has been actively training in Mumbai since mid-July to prepare for the Asia Cup. He comes into the tournament fresh, having last played competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he was a key performer both with bat and ball, scoring 224 runs and taking 14 wickets, helping his team reach the playoffs. His all-round abilities and experience, especially in white-ball cricket, have been vital to India's recent successes, including the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Hence, his availability and fitness are considered essential for India's campaign in the Asia Cup as well as for future tournaments like the T20 World Cup 2026.

Before Hardik, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer also took a fitness test at the NCA, signaling the selection committee's emphasis on fitness as a key criterion. Iyer's recent strong performances in the IPL have put him back in contention for T20I selection after a hiatus since December 2023, indicating competition for spots in the squad.

The selectors are expected to announce India's Asia Cup 2025 squad sometime after these fitness assessments. But if Hardik Pandya gets selected for the Asia Cup, he will become the first Indian player to achieve a unique Asia Cup record.

Hardik Pandya can achieve Unique Record

If Hardik is selected for the Asia Cup 2025 squad, the India all-rounder will be the first Indian player to play in all editions of the Asia Cup, when it has been in a T20 format. This is the 3rd edition of the continental tournament in T20 format, and Hardik has played the two previous editions in 2016 and 2022.

Hardik was a key performer as well in the 2016 Asia Cup, when India won the tournament, beating Bangladesh in the Final, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Pandya picked up 7 wickets in that edition of the tournament.