Indian skipper Virat Kohli has provided the latest injury update of Shikhar Dhawan. The team are disappointed on Thursday after the game against New Zealand was abandoned due to rain.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan suffered a thumb injury against Australia on Sunday. He was hit on thumb due to a rising bouncer from Pat Cummins. However, the southpaw continued his batting and scored a hundred on the day.
But he was unable to take the field when India was bowling. Scans on Tuesday revealed Dhawan suffered a hair line fracture on his thumb. With this, there were fears that Dhawan could miss the entire tournament.
However, Indian medical team assessed the injury situation and revealed that Dhawan needs at least couple of weeks to heal. In case Dhawan does not make speed recovery, the team already called Rishabh Pant to join the squad as an alternate option.
But captain Virat Kohli has revealed that Dhawan is under the watchful eyes of Indian medical team. On the other hand, he told Dhawan will remain in plaster for a couple of weeks. And the Indian skipper reiterated his hope on Dhawan’s availability during the latter stages of the tournament.
Virat Kohli said in the post-match presentation after rain forced India and New Zealand to share the two points, “He’s gonna be in a plaster for a couple of weeks and then, we’ll assess where he stands. Hopefully, he heals quickly and should be available for the latter half of our league stages, and the semifinals as well”.
Shikhar Dhawan has made a name for himself as the Man of ICC events.
The southpaw has been the secret to India’s success in ICC events over the past six years. He will be a huge miss in the meantime. But India team were asked to share a point with New Zealand on Thursday after rain played spoil sport.
Meanwhile, despite the New Zealand match, India are gearing up for the contest against Pakistan on Sunday. The team are in positive mind after two dominating wins against South Africa and Australia. But Pakistan are yet to get into their stride, after suffering defeat to Australia on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli has revealed that the mega match could intimidate young players, who are playing in it for the first time. He thinks the experience of Indian team will come in handy on Sunday.
“As soon as you enter the field, it’s all calm. All the excitement and frenzy around the game could intimidate guys who are playing for the first time. For us, it’s about executing our skills and we’re all professionals. It’s been competitive for a while now, it’s been a marquee event and it’s an honour to be a part of such an event”.
Although, India were forced to share point with New Zealand on Thursday. They are currently at five points in 3 games. They are heavy favorites against an inconsistent Pakistan team on Sunday.