The Indian Cricket Team has been dealt a major blow as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss the home T20I series against Australia starting from 23rd November and then the 3-match T20I series against South Africa in South Africa.
Hardik Pandya suffered an ankle injury during the ongoing World Cup match against Bangladesh played at MCA Stadium, Pune while fielding through follow-through. He went off the field with only 3 deliveries as Virat Kohli bowled the next 3 deliveries. Pandya was supposed to return for the semi-finals, but the extent of injury could not heel and ruled out of the World Cup 2023.
He picked 1 wicket in the first encounter against Australia at Chennai to help India bowl out Australia for 199. Pandya took 2 for 43 in 7 overs against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. He dismissed Omarzai and Gurbaz to put pressure on the opponent. Pandya showed his class with 2 more wickets against arch-rivals Pakistan at Ahmedabad dismissing Imam and Mohammad Nawaz as India bowled out them for 191.
He was rushed to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru but could not recover from the ankle injury. The Indian Cricket Team has been on a roll winning 10 matches in a row and progressed into the finals to be played against Australia at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on 19th November 2023.
The medical team has yet to decide whether surgery is to be done or not. Pandya told the medical staff about the pain that he is getting in the right ankle.
Pandya had penned down a heartfelt message on the X: “Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup. 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. Love, always, HP”.
A Huge Blow for India In The Series Against Australia and South Africa
The absence of Hardik Pandya will be a big blow for the Indian team in the upcoming T20I series against Australia at home starting from 23rd November 2023. The first match would be played at Vizag on 23rd November, 2nd T20I match on 26th at Thirvanthupram.
3rd fixture at Guhwati is on the 28th of November 4th match at Nagpur on December 1st and the final T20I match is to be played at Hyderabad on the 3rd of December.
After this series, the Indian Team will travel for three T20I matches in South Africa starting from 10th December 2023. The first T20I match would be played at Kingsmead, Durban on 10th December while 2nd one at Port Elizabeth on 12th December and the final T20I would be played on 14th December at Johannesburg.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
