"I'll be with the team, in spirit, cheering them on"
India’s vice-captain Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup with an ankle injury sustained in October 2023.
Pandya injured his left ankle while trying to stop a shot with his foot on his own bowling during India’s seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Pune on October 19.
The injury caused him to miss matches against England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Taking to X, Pandya wrote: “Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup.
“I’ll be with the team, in spirit, cheering them on every ball of every game.
“Thanks for all the wishes, the love, and the support has been incredible. This team is special and I’m sure we’ll make everyone proud.”
Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup. I'll be with the team, in spirit, cheering them on every ball of every game. Thanks for all the wishes, the love, and the support has been incredible. This team is special and I'm sure we'll… pic.twitter.com/b05BKW0FgL
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) November 4, 2023
Hardik Pandya picked up five wickets for the hosts in their opening three games of the World Cup.
Prasidh Krishna has been approved as his replacement.
Pace bowler Krishna has played 17 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for India, taking 33 wickets overall.
But Krishna will face competition from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj for a spot in India’s pace line-up.
Despite Pandya’s absence, India have managed well and are top of the table with seven wins out of seven.
Former cricketers have said Pandya’s absence will not be an issue, with New Zealander Simon Doull saying:
“I do feel for Hardik Pandya. He is such a crucial part of the Indian side but has been down with injuries time and time again.
“It is a shame to miss a home World Cup because it doesn’t come around that often and he will be bitterly disappointed.
“From a team point of view, those five bowlers that they have been using will be the five bowlers that they are going to get through this tournament.
“It slightly shortens their batting line-up, but what I saw the other day was that they play a little more conservatively which I don’t mind through that middle period.
“Rohit Sharma is still going to get them off to a flying start. He has been playing a bit of selfless cricket.
“It changes a bit on how they play a bit because they don’t have that security of an extra bowler.”
“But these five bowlers, I’m not sure if I have seen a better bowling attack in World Cup cricket from any side, anywhere, at any time in the tournament.”
Bound for the semi-finals, India take on second-place South Africa in Kolkata on November 5.
On four occasions in the tournament, South Africa have scored 350 runs or more, with three of them the tournament’s highest totals.
Quinton de Kock is ahead of Virat Kohli in the run-scoring charts with 545 runs in seven games, while the middle order also packs a punch.
Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen have all accumulated power-packed hundreds.
Their batting line-up likes to dominate overs 11-40 and then launch a scathing finish in the second powerplay.
Van der Dussen said: “In these batting friendly conditions, these days, if you don’t take wickets, guys will score big against you.
“And for us, as a top-order, it’s finding that balance between being attacking and scoring runs, and also setting the base up for the middle order to come.”
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