In an unfortunate turn of events, India’s fast-bowling all-rounder and vice-captain, Hardik Pandya, will not be accompanying the team to Dharamshala for the upcoming Men’s ODI World Cup clash against New Zealand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Pandya sustained a left ankle injury during India’s fourth league match against Bangladesh at MCA Stadium in Pune.
During the match, Pandya limped off the field after injuring his left ankle while fielding on his own bowling. Following the injury, he was unable to participate further in the game. As a result, the talented all-rounder will be unavailable for India’s crucial encounter against New Zealand at HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, scheduled for Sunday.
The BCCI issued a medical update stating that Pandya had undergone scans and has been advised to rest. Additionally, he will be under the continuous supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. The update also mentioned that Pandya will rejoin the Indian team in Lucknow for their match against defending champions England on October 29.
The incident that led to Pandya’s injury occurred in Pune while he was attempting to prevent a boundary hit by Litton Das in the ninth over. During his follow-through, he slipped, resulting in a twist to his left ankle. The Indian team’s physiotherapist immediately attended to Pandya, with Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma by his side. Despite attempting to continue bowling after some initial treatment, the pain in his strapped left ankle was too severe, forcing him to leave the field for further medical attention.
Hardik Pandya’s absence poses a significant challenge for the Indian team. His versatility and all-round skills, contributing both as a top-order batsman and a key fast-bowling option, have been crucial in India’s white-ball cricket campaigns. Although he had only batted once, scoring an unbeaten 11 in India’s opening victory over Australia in Chennai, Pandya had already claimed five wickets in the tournament before the ankle injury.
The absence of Pandya leaves the Indian team with the task of finding alternatives to cover his versatile skills. Shardul Thakur is a fast-bowling all-rounder option, but he may not be a direct replacement for Pandya. India may consider various strategies to adapt to Pandya’s absence, such as using Thakur as both a batter and a bowler or introducing a specialist batter while operating with only five bowlers in the team’s bowling innings. Another approach could be bringing in a specialist batter and a bowler respectively while omitting Thakur from the playing XI.
India, with four consecutive victories, stands as one of the only two unbeaten teams in the ongoing Men’s ODI World Cup. The two-time champions will face New Zealand next, a team that shares their unbeaten status and promises to deliver an exciting clash on the world stage.
