IND vs ENG: In a more troubling development for the Indian team marching forward in their,so far, successful campaign in the IC World Cup 2023, senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to miss India’s another fixture, scheduled on Sunday. The recent updates show that Hardik will miss India’s next game against England in Lucknow.
It has been learned that Hardik Pandya, who suffered an ankle injury during the India vs Bangladesh fixture on October 19, has slight ligament damage, as stated by a report published on ESPNcricinfo.
The all-rounder will undergo a fitness test on Thursday (October 26) after which his next plan of action will be determined. A successful report of the fitness assessment test would mean that Hardik will be fit to participate in the ICC World Cup 2023 and his return date will be finalized accordingly.
It is worth noting that shortly after the India vs Bangladesh fixture, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed that there was “no major damage” to the all-rounder. Hardik was subsequently sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for his rehab.
Hardik Pandya was replaced with Suryakumar & Mohd Shami
Hardik Pandya missed India’s last assignment against New Zealand on October 22. Although his absence was seen as a major roadblock for India, the team successfully managed to get past the jitters of New Zealand.
To compensate for him, India included Suryakumar Yadav to strengthen their batting unit, and for the cover-up of the bowling skill losses, Mohammad Shami replaced Shardul Thakur to maintain the overall balance of the playing 11.
While Shami had a memorable outing against New Zealand as he registered his second fifer in the ICC World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav got trapped in a horrible mix-up with Virat Kohli and was run out at a meagre score of 2.
It remains to be seen if India goes ahead with the same mix of players in the first 11 against England in Lucknow as they proceeded against New Zealand, a few days ago.
Lucknow’s surface is known to be more favourable to spinners. The pitch has tendency to slow down as the game proceeds which may lure Rohit Sharma to include an attacking spin option in R Ashwin in place of Mohammad Shami.
Below is India’s likely playing 11 against England for the contest on October 28 in Lucknow.
IND vs ENG: India’s Likely Playing 11 against England
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin/Mohd Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj.
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