Significant setback for Team India: Hardik Pandya ruled out of Lucknow match and Ravichandran Ashwin could return. The injury sustained by Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has turned out to be more serious than first thought. Pandya suffered an ankle sprain last week while bowling against Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match at Pune’s MCA Stadium.
The captain of the Gujarat Titans was supposed to return for Sunday’s match against the reigning world champion England at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, but he did not travel to Dharamsala with the Indian team for their fifth encounter against New Zealand. It has since been rumored, though, that Pandya’s return to the team may be further delayed.
Pandya is not expected to be included in the team for India’s sixth-round match at the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in Lucknow, according to a report on the News18 website. “Yes, Hardik is probably going to miss England’s next game in Lucknow. As of right now, it’s nothing major and more of a precaution, a BCCI representative tells News18’s CricketNext website.
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According to a different publication, Pandya is now being observed by the NCA. “Hardik is being watched over by the NCA. It’s not a big deal. We are optimistic that he will be OK by Wednesday or Thursday as he merely suffered a sprain. He is too valuable even as a batter. His condition will determine if he can bowl at a normal pace, a top BCCI official said.
After playing in the opening World Cup 2023 match against Australia in Chennai, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin may be back in the running to rejoin the team because the pitch at Ekana Stadium is more suited to slower bowlers than it was during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.
Ashwin was replaced in the second game by all-round pace bowler Shardul Thakur. If Ashwin is able to play in Lucknow, he would probably take the position of Mohammed Siraj, who has been finding it difficult to obtain wickets in the World Cup 2023 despite being India’s best bowler during the 2023 Asia Cup victory. Siraj has taken six wickets at an average of 42.83 in his first five matches.
