India vice-captain Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after the all-rounder sustained an ankle injury last month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Saturday as it approved Prasidh Krishna as his replacement.
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 19th. He then missed matches against England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
“Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup,” Pandya posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “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.”
Pandya picked up five wickets for the hosts in their opening three games of the World Cup tournament and pace bowler Krishna has played 17 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches for India claiming 33 wickets overall.
Krishna will face competition from Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj for a spot in India’s pace line-up.
Semi-finals-bound India have managed well in the absence of Pandya and lead the table with seven wins from as many matches. They take on second-placed South Africa in Kolkata on Sunday.
