Image Credit- ICC
In the next days, India hopes to learn more about
Hardik Pandya’s fitness in time for their November 2 encounter against Sri
Lanka in Mumbai.
Pandya suffered damage to his left ankle ligaments
during an awkward fall in the middle of an over during the encounter against
Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. As a result, he missed two matches, against
New Zealand and England.
“The medical team is looking at that and are very
much in touch with Hardik and the NCA [National Cricket Academy] as well,”
India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said following their sixth consecutive win
in the World Cup, beating England by 100 runs, on Sunday. “We’re hoping to
get an update in a couple of days. But we’ll see.”
India made two changes to their XI, omitting Shardul
Thakur and adding Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav to replace Hardik, an
all-rounder who balances the side. Since rejoining the team, Shami has
performed exceptionally well, capturing five wickets in the match against New
Zealand and four wickets in seven overs against England.
It’s highly unlikely that India will quickly push
Hardik back to the side. They’ve not only almost made it to the semifinals
already, but they’ve also been winning handily without him. India’s next game
is against South Africa in Kolkata on November 5, following their encounter
against Sri Lanka on November 2.