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NEW DELHI: The Indian team management has got down to reworking its plan for the rest of the World Cup campaign after it has emerged that Hardik Pandya‘s participation in all the remaining matches has come under jeopardy. TOI has learnt that Hardik is suspected to have a Grade 1 ligament tear in his ankle which he suffered while trying to field off his own bowling during the match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19.
“The medical team under Nitin Patel is monitoring him at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. But the injury looks a bit more serious than what was first perceived. It looks like he has suffered a minor ligament tear which usually takes at least two weeks to heal. The NCA will not release him before his injury heals. The medical team has communicated to the team management that they are hopeful of putting him back on the pitch soon,” a BCCI source told TOI on Wednesday, adding, “The team doesn’t want to bring in a replacement. It’s ready to wait for Pandya.”
Hardik Pandya after suffering an injury in Pune. (PTI Photo)
TOI understands that the Indian team is against rushing him back into the squad. The development means that Hardik is unlikely to be available for India’s next game against England in Lucknow on October 29. The Indian team has reached Lucknow on Wednesday and is slated to train from Thursday. His availability for the next two matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa in the first week of November is also doubtful. Hardik’s body has been prone to injuries all through his career. This has left Hardik very disappointed and worried, it was learnt.
“The team is currently comfortably placed in the tournament. Hardik will most likely stay back at NCA to do his rehab rather than travel with the team right now. The current situation is such that a call on Hardik’s involvement for the rest of the tournament will be taken next week. His return to play will have to be carefully charted. His fragile foundation makes the recovery longer than a lot of other players who have greater muscle mass. If need be, he is ready to take injections and play in the business end of the tournament. Anyway, if Hardik isn’t bowling at full tilt, it doesn’t really make such a big difference to the composition,” the source said.
As for the next fixture against England, the Indian team expects a turning pitch in Lucknow. In that case, Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the picture just like the opening game of the campaign against Australia.
Shami to be a regular feature now
India had used Suryakumar Yadav at No. 6 for the last game against New Zealand on October 22 while ditching the idea to have an effective batter in Shardul Thakur at No. 8. TOI understands that Shami is going to be a regular feature in the playing XI irrespective of the surface and the opponent. Ashwin on turning pitches can be handy with the bat at No. 8 too. He has the ability to play handy knocks in dicey situations.
Shami is likely to be a lead bowler now. Until Hardik comes back, the team is looking to bolster the bowling so that oppositions don’t run away with the game. Shardul has been identified as someone who can break important partnerships. The team was ready to barter a few runs for a couple of wickets that he gets on flat surfaces. But with the batting suffering due to Hardik’s absence, the team believes it needs more wicket-taking options with the ball.
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