Team India has arrived in Lucknow for their next fixture in the ongoing World Cup 2023 – against defending champions England on Sunday. The hosts are the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far and are placed on the top of the table with 10 points and a Net Run Rate of +1.353.
Despite a dominant run in the showpiece event, Team India is concerned about Hardik Pandya’s injury which he suffered in the game against Bangladesh in Pune. The Indian vice-captain couldn’t return for the fixture against New Zealand in Dharamsala and now, it’s been learned that a ligament tear might keep him from action a bit longer.
According to The Times of India, Pandya is suspected to have a Grade 1 ligament tear in his ankle which he picked up while trying to field off his own bowling. His injury is being monitored by Nitin Patel at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru which seems more serious than it was initially perceived.
“It looks like he has suffered a minor ligament tear which usually takes at least two weeks to heal. The NCA will not release him before his injury heals. The medical team has communicated to the team management that they are hopeful of putting him back on the pitch soon. The team doesn’t want to bring in a replacement as it’s ready to wait for Pandya,” the report quoted a source as saying.
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The development indicates that Pandya, in most likelihood, will not be available for the England face-off on October 29 in Lucknow. The report further stated that the all-rounder might miss the matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa in the first week of November.
“The current situation is such that a call on Hardik’s involvement for the rest of the tournament will be taken next week. His return to play will have to be carefully charted. His fragile foundation makes the recovery longer than a lot of other players who have greater muscle mass. If need be, he is ready to take injections and play in the business end of the tournament. Anyway, if Hardik isn’t bowling at full tilt, it doesn’t really make such a big difference to the composition,” the source added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Cricketnext were the first to report that Pandya is set to miss the game against England in Lucknow. However, it was told that there was nothing serious with the all-rounder’s condition.
“Yes, Hardik is likely to miss the next match vs England in Lucknow. It is more of a precaution at this stage and nothing serious,” a BCCI official tells CricketNext.
Should Ashwin be included?
It will be interesting to see the team have Ashwin back in the mix after benching him for the last four matches. The team expects a turner in Lucknow which might see the veteran off-spinner getting another game in the ongoing tournament.
On the other hand, Mohammed Shami, who began his World Cup 2023 journey with a fifer, will most likely retain his place in the XI.
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