Hardik Pandya will miss India’s next World Cup 2023 match against New Zealand on Sunday in Dharamsala. “During India vs Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium, Hardik injured his left ankle while fielding on his own bowling. The all-rounder underwent tests and said to relax. He will be constantly monitored by the BCCI Medical Team. He will not be flying to Dharamsala with the team on October 20th. But Hardik will instead join the team in Lucknow, where India will play England,” the BCCI stated in a statement.
When the BCCI announce that Hardik was being send for scans, it sent out a worrisome tweet. Later in the Indian innings, while Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were batting, some serious images from the dressing room come out. Involving Hardik, Rohit, and coach Rahul Dravid said that the injury was more serious than imagined. However, when Rohit see the situation and said it was nothing serious, the entire country sigh a sense of relief.
Even a minor ankle strain can take up to a week to recover completely. But Team India is unwilling to take that risk.
Who will take Hardik s place in the New Zealand game?
Without Hardik, the team’s entire balance appears to be in jeopardy. In his absence, India will have two options: play an extra bowler/battler or incorporate both. The toss between Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan is likely to go in SKY’s favor, as he demonstrated his ODI batting prowess against Australia last month by batting at No. 6 and scoring back-to-back fifties.
With Ravindra Jadeja at 7, India will have to decide whether to keep Shardul Thakur or give Mohammed Shami a game. Shardul, famed for his ability to shatter partnerships, has yet to discover his talent this World Cup, with numbers of 1/31, 0/12, and 1/59, and considering the seaming conditions in Dharamsala’s high altitude, Shami should be an absolute shoe-in.
For more cricket updates, make sure to follow us on:
