Allrounder irreplaceable in terms of skill-sets & balance he brings to side
DHARAMSHALA: Hardik Pandya's untimely left-ankle injury against Bangladesh on Thursday night has ruled him out of India's high-octane game against New Zealand on Sunday, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has confirmed.
Pandya didn't fly out with the team from Pune and is now expected to re-join the team in Lucknow for the game against England on Oct 29. The long gap between these two games may allow Pandya sufficient time to recover.
This is the first big injury blow to India's World Cup campaign, which has got off to a tremendous start with four wins in four games. Captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, who had just settled on a winning combination, will now have to rejig their team for the tricky pitch at the HPCA Stadium against the other undefeated side in the World Cup - the Kiwis.
India's options are limited. With a like-for-like replacement for the seam bowling allrounder unavailable, they may stick to strengthening the batting, in which case they have to decide between picking Suryakumar Yadav or introducing a left-handed option down the order in Ishan Kishan.
It will also be interesting to see if India drop Shardul Thakur in Pandya's absence and choose to recall pacer Mohammed Shami to partner Jasprit Bumrah first up, leaving India with one less bowling option. They can also give off-spinner R Ashwin a game, but it may be a tricky proposition if India bowl under lights in seam-friendly Dharamshala. There will be more clarity when India train under lights here a day before the game.
The injury occurred when Hardik tried to field off his own bowling with his foot during his first over on Thursday. He seemed in a lot of pain and was subsequently sent for scans, with doctors advising rest. "He is advised to rest and will be under the constant supervision of the BCCI medical team," the board said in a statement.
Rohit had earlier said that Pandya "had pulled up a bit sore" and that "there is no major damage". However, the captain had added a rider: "But, with an injury like that, you've got to assess every day."
