The Indian cricket team is not planning to rush back Hardik Pandya into the Playing XI in the Cricket World Cup. The team management have decided to have the star all-rounder get complete rest and retain full fitness before drafting him back in the playing XI.
Hardik Pandya is suspected to have suffered a Grade 1 ligament tear in his ankle, which he sustained while trying to stop a ball in the follow-through in IND vs BAN.
The 30-year-old missed the IND vs NZ and is guaranteed to miss the England and Sri Lanka clashes as well. However, a senior BCCI official has confirmed that Hardik might directly play in the semi-final if India manage to win games against England and Sri Lanka.
“He is out of the England and Sri Lanka games. Look, he is crucial for us. But he is more crucial in semifinal stages. So, if we qualify for the semifinals with a win against England and Sri Lanka, Hardik will only play directly in semis“, a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
Will Hardik Pandya bowl?
The official also confirmed that Hardik Pandya, who is currently at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, will not begin bowling until next week.
“He will be fresh and fully recovered by then. We will know more next week. He won’t begin bowling until next week,” the official added.
Notably, Team India have been undefeated in the tournament so far, winning 5 out of 5 games. A win against England or Sri Lanka will confirm Men in Blue’s spot for the semi-final.
Team India will face England on Sunday, October 29 at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.
Team India’s remaining matches in World Cup 2023:
| Match No. | Match | Match Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India vs England | October 29 | 2:00 PM | Ekana Stadium, Lucknow |
| 2 | India vs Sri Lanka | November 2 | 2:00 PM | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 3 | India vs South Africa | November 5 | 2:00 PM | Edens Garden, Kolkata |
| 4 | India vs Netherlands | November 12 | 2:00 PM | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
India Squad for Cricket World Cup 2023
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav
WKs: Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (VC)
Seam all-rounders: Shardul Thakur
Spin all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin
Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav
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