Huge blow for India as Hardik Pandya INJURES right ankle in World Cup match against Bangladesh, leaves stadium for scans 

Hardik Pandya went to stop the ball with his right foot but was unable to. In the follow through he twisted his ankle and was unable to walk, limping when he somehow got up.

Huge blow for India as Hardik Pandya INJURES right ankle in World Cup match against Bangladesh, leaves stadium for scans 

Hardik Pandya injured his left ankle while trying to stop a boundary (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

In the 9th over of Bangladesh’s innings on Thursday (October 19), Hardik Pandya was introduced in the bowling attack by Indian captain Rohit Sharma at the MCA Stadium in Pune. He was replacing Bumrah who was coming off a spell of 4 overs. The first ball he bowled, he managed to beat Litton Das’s outside edge. On the 2nd ball, Das drove through the covers and on the third he drove it straight down the ground. 

Hardik Pandya went to stop the ball with his right foot but was unable to. In the follow through he twisted his ankle and was unable to walk, limping when he somehow got up. The team’s physio went to see the extent of the injury and decided to pull Hardik out of the field. The right arm quick bowler, Virat Kohli, bowled the remaining 3 balls of the over. 

YouTube video

After some time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Hardik Pandya had to leave the stadium to have his ankle scanned. The extent of the injury is unknown so far, but the Indian Team management will hope for the injury to not be serious. 

Related: Hardik Pandya won’t get too “EMOTIONAL” and be reckless while facing Pakistan in Asia Cup

What could the Indian Team do if Hardik Pandya’s injury is serious? 

If India do lose Hardik Pandya to injury, it would hurt the team’s chances in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. He is probably the most important player in the Indian side, with his batting and bowling abilities. 

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya celebrates a wicket (Image via ESPN)

Hardik has operated as the third pacer for India since the 2023 Asia Cup and bats at number 6. Without Hardik Pandya, India won’t be able to play with six bowling options. The Indian team had only 3 all-rounders in the squad along with Hardik, but none with the same profile as him. 

With the pace bowling all rounder out, India could either call in a replacement for the few games Hardik could miss or they could change the entire team balance completely. There has been a scarcity of pace bowling all rounders in India unfortunately. Although there are some prominent names in the Indian domestic circuit, many of them have not played ODIs in a long time for India or have not been a part of ODIs.

Pace bowling all rounders like Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube have represented India before, with Shankar even being a part of the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup squad, but both have not played an ODI since 2019. Both have had great seasons in the 2023 IPLs, but have not bowled much. Although the two can bowl, they are now being played as Batters in the domestic circuit.

Saurashtra all rounder, Prerak Mankad, has good numbers in the Domestic circuit but has never represented India in his career. Rishi Dhawan, another all rounder, has been in great form. Unfortunately he has not played for India since 2016. Venkatesh Iyer is another name who could be in contention, but rarely bowls for Kolkata Knight Riders and India. 

If the India do decide to not call up a replacement, India could go forward and play four pure bowlers in the playing 11 instead of the usual 3. Shardul Thakur/ Mohammed Shami will be used as the 3rd pacer of the team while either one of Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav could bat at number 6 to replace Hardik Pandya. 

In case you missed!