There is no good news for Team India before the match against England in the World Cup. It is being told that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya may remain out of the next two matches also. Because he has not been able to recover from the ankle injury due to which he could not play in the last match.
Pandya suffered an ankle injury while fielding his own ball against Bangladesh on 19 October in Pune and was unable to play against New Zealand in Dharamsala on 22 October. This player from Baroda had gone to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Monday to recover from the injury.
An NCA source said, Hardik is undergoing treatment. The swelling in his left ankle has reduced considerably but he will start bowling only on the weekend. At this time it is important to give them time to recover.
India is in a very strong position to reach the semi-finals by winning all its five matches so far, hence Pandya can be rested for the next two matches which will give him a chance to recover completely before the knockouts.
A BCCI source said, Pandya has suffered a serious sprain but fortunately there is no fracture. The BCCI medical team wants to take maximum precautions. He is likely to be out of the next two to three matches. The team wants him to be fully fit for the knockout stage.
Pandya may undergo a fitness test on Thursday and the BCCI medical team will decide the date of his return based on this. During this time, special attention will be paid to his bowling and it will be seen whether he is uncomfortable with the ankle of his left leg while bowling with full force.
India has to play its next match against defending champion England on October 29 in Lucknow and against Sri Lanka on November 2 in Mumbai.
Pandya’s absence gave place to Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami in the playing eleven against New Zealand. Shami performed brilliantly in his first match of the tournament and took five wickets, but the Lucknow pitch is likely to help the slow bowlers and in such a situation, Ravichandran Ashwin may get a place in the eleven for this match. If this happens then the batting will also be strong because Ashwin will play at number eight.