Hardik Pandya fails fitness test, Vijay Shankar named replacement for NZ tour

Pandya was picked for New Zealand tour without any formal test in the Ranji Trophy. He will also not feature in India's home series against Australia starting on January 14.

Mumbai: Hardik Pandya's return to mainstream cricket has been delayed as the all-rounder failed the fitness test on Saturday. Pandya was expecting to return to the Indian team after recovering from back surgery.

Pandya was named for India A team's tour of New Zealand which will be followed by India senior team's full-fledged series Down Under. He has been replaced by Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar.

The 26-year-old cricketer was picked for the tour without any formal test in the Ranji Trophy.

Pandya will also not feature in India's home series against Australia starting on January 14.

India A have already left for New Zealand where they will play two 50-over warm-up games, three List A games and two four-day games against New Zealand A.

While the yo-yo test is compulsory to assess the fitness standard of international cricketers, there is clarity on the type of tests are conducted for India 'A' players.