Image Credit- ICC
All-arounder Hardik Pandya of India will miss two more
World Cup games, against South Africa and Sri Lanka, as he continues to heal
from an ankle injury he sustained against Bangladesh. Since October 19, Pandya
has not participated in a match. It is unlikely that India will rush him back
till November 12, when they play the Netherlands in the league final.
In an apparent attempt to block a hit with his right
foot during his follow through, he seemed to twist his ankle while bowling
against Bangladesh in Pune. He was taken for scans and did not participate in
the remainder of the contest. Pandya’s injury kept him out of India’s next
game, which was against New Zealand in Dharamsala. The all-rounder was supposed
to report directly to the team in Lucknow for the encounter against England on
October 29, but a ligament injury kept him out of that game as well.
Since then, Pandya has been receiving treatment at
Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy, and it is anticipated that his
recuperation would take some time. In order to compensate for his versatility,
India used Suryakumar Yadav against New Zealand and Mohammed Shami in place of
Shardul Thakur. While Suryakumar was out for two, Shami—who was playing in his
debut World Cup match—picked up five wickets to help India keep New Zealand’s
total below 300.
India then easily defeated England as well, winning by
a final margin of 100 runs. The medical staff was in regular communication with
Pandya and the NCA, according to India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who
stated that they were expecting a report on his fitness in the “next
couple of days” following the England match.
With six victories in as many games, India leads the
points table and is the only team in the competition without a loss. Tomorrow,
they will play Sri Lanka in Mumbai before travelling to Kolkata to play South
Africa. Next, India will play Netherlands in Bengaluru to conclude the league
rounds.