ODI World Cup 2023

High flying India’s World Cup hopes take a hit as Hardik Pandya gets ruled out of ODI World Cup 2023, management names replacement

In what is the first big blow to India’s ongoing World Cup 2023 campaign, India’s star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, has been ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury. The 30-year-old sustained an ankle injury in the game against Bangladesh and has been on the sidelines since. Pandya was expected to recover and return for the business end of the quadrennial event but now, he will not play any part in the remainder of the event.

Hardik Pandya’s absence will severely disrupt India’s team balance, as there is no other player in the country who offers the same level of all-round ability. This is evident from the Indian Cricket Board’s decision to replace him with Prasidh Krishna, a specialist fast bowler. Additionally, India made two changes to their playing to compensate for Pandya’s absence, with Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami coming into the playing 11. Rohit Sharma and Co. are now likely to persist with the same combination for the rest of the tournament.

Much to India’s delight, Shami has been outstanding, picking up 14 wickets in just 3 matches at an astonishing average of 6.71. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav has scored just 63 runs in three innings and will need to step up with the games becoming increasingly important.

Prasidh Krishna to serve as backup to Indian pacers

Krishna, the replacement, has featured in 17 ODIs and has a tally of 29 wickets in the format. He was quite impressive in the games that he played before an injury relegated him in the team’s pecking order. His inclusion serves as a backup to India’s pace attack which also features Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur.

India have been flying high in the World Cup as they are the only unbeaten team, having won all their seven games thus far. They are now left with two games in the group stage against South Africa and the Netherlands. They will face the Proteas on Sunday, November 5 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before travelling to Bengaluru to play the Dutch. India will be desperate to finish the group stage on top of the points table to gain an advantage in terms of the semi-final matchup.