India’s perfect ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign has suffered an untimely blow with the injured Hardik Pandya confirmed to be ruled out of the entirety of the tournament.
The Indian camp has confirmed their worst fears with injury ruling All-rounder Hardik Pandya out of the rest of the tournament. Pandya hurt his ankle during India’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 fixture against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19 and has since watched his team’s campaign from the sidelines. (NZ vs PAK Blog | Full Coverage)
India has roped in pacer Prasidh Krishna as Pandya’s replacement for the remainder of the competition. Krishna, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, has bowled just 17 One Day Internationals for his country and is hugely inexperienced when compared to the Indian vice-captain Pandya. Nevertheless, Krishna is likely to serve as a required back-up for the in-form Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, whose performances with the ball have helped India restrcit their opponents to flaringly low totals in the tournament so far.
Krishna's involvement was approved by the ICC Event Technical Committee ahead of India's anticipated league stage clash with South Africa. The two teams are currently top of the standings, with the hosts marginally nudging the Proteas, courtesy of their perfect record. With both set to qualify for the semi-finals, their upcoming clash on Sunday, November 5, will serve as an appetizer for the knockout stage to follow.