In the next days, India hopes to learn more about Hardik Pandya’s fitness in time for their November 2 encounter against Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
Pandya suffered damage to his left ankle ligaments during an awkward fall in the middle of an over during the encounter against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. As a result, he missed two matches, against New Zealand and England.
After India defeated England by 100 runs on Sunday to win the World Cup for the sixth time in a row, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said, “The medical team is looking at that and are very much in touch with Hardik and the NCA [National Cricket Academy] as well.” “We anticipate hearing back in a few days with an update. We’ll see, though.
India made two changes to their XI, omitting Shardul Thakur and adding Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav to replace Hardik, an all-rounder who balances the side. Since rejoining the team, Shami has performed exceptionally well, capturing five wickets in the match against New Zealand and four wickets in seven overs against England.
It’s highly unlikely that India will quickly push Hardik back to the side. They’ve not only almost made it to the semifinals already, but they’ve also been winning handily without him. India’s next game is against South Africa in Kolkata on November 5, following their encounter against Sri Lanka on November 2.
