Hardik Pandya and injury have been synonymous. And he has suffered another scare in Thursday’s India vs Bangladesh (IND vs BAN) Cricket World Cup clash. He slipped while bowling his first over at the MCA Stadium in Pune and hurt his ankle. The physios had to come in immediately. Hardik Pandya did carry on with heavy strappings on his ankle.
Pandya is already carrying a finger injury and is playing with strappings on his fingers. Hardik will undergo scans to determine the extent of the injury as a precaution.
Later, it was disclosed that Hardik Pandya had sprained his left ankle as he slipped. He won’t be bowling or fielding in the IND vs BAN match any longer. Suryakumar Yadav will be the substitute fielder.
However, that means Shardul Thakur will have to bowl full quota of 10 overs.
As Hardik Pandya continued to struggle, he was taken off the field. Virat Kohli bowled the remaining three deliveries.
The all-rounder is crucial to India’s plans in the Cricket World Cup. He has been the go-to bowler for Rohit Sharma with the new ball and it allows him the flexibility to play Shardul Thakur. But with IND vs NZ on Sunday, Team India will be concerned with Hardik’s injury.
If he does miss out, India will have to play a specialist pacer like Mohammad Shami in Dharamshala. Shami has been kept on the bench so far.
