In a big blow to the Indian team, Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is ruled out of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 after failing to recover from the ankle injury that he sustained during the Bangladesh game. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has been named as his replacement for the remainder of the tournament.
Hardik Pandya twisted his ankle while attempting to use his right foot to block Bangladesh opener Litton Das’ straight shot while bowling against Bangladesh. Even with his right ankle taped, Pandya was unable to complete his over and walked off the field. The Baroda all-rounder was eventually ruled out of the following games, with Indian management hoping for him to return to the side for the knockout matches.
The BCCI and team management were optimistic that Hardik, who has since been undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at the NCA, will be fit when India qualified for the semifinals of the mega event but the all-rounder wasn’t able to pull up for the team going into the important phase of the ODI World Cup.
In the white-ball version of the game, Hardik Pandya has been India’s best all-rounder in a long time and performed for the side when it mattered most. The 29-year-old excellently balances this Indian team, and the Indian team has shown a lot of confidence in his ability to make a difference against the high-quality opponents and could be a vital miss for the team going forward in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna has demonstrated tremendous promise in the 50-over format of the game. In the format, the Karnataka pacer is an excellent option for taking wickets and could be the perfect backup for the Indian fast-bowling attack. In 17 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Krishna has taken 29 wickets for India at an average of 25.6 and an economy rate of 5.60.
With Hardik Pandya being ruled of the marquee event, Suryakumar Yadav is likely to get the opportunity to seal his place in the playing 11 but the Indian team will miss the sixth bowling in the game, which prove costly against higher-quality opponents like South Africa and Australia.
The Men in Blue are on a roll after winning seven out of seven games in the marquee event, convincingly winning all the matches with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav being the star of the Indian in the World Cup but the absence of Pandya would be a huge blow to the Indian team going into the bigger matches in the mega event.
