Team India has become the first team to qualify for the World Cup 2023 Semi-Final. The Men in Blue expected Hardik Pandya’s return until the knockouts.
However, the ICC confirmed on Saturday that Hardik Pandya has been ruled out for the remainder of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. We all know how good Hardik was, and his absence from the team might cause a great problem.
Now, the question arises: What happened to Hardik Pandya? This is what most of the fans are concerned about. The answer is not far-fetched. Right on in the next section, we will have that answered.
Hardik Pandya Biography
Hardik Pandya is a cricketer who is really good at two things: hitting the ball with his right hand and throwing the ball with his right hand too, but really fast! People love to watch him play because he’s like a superhero on the field.
He does not just hit the ball hard, and he catches it when he is not batting. He is a confident player who takes charge when he is playing, and he is cool and stylish, both when he is playing cricket and when he is not on the field of play.
What Happened to Hardik Pandya?
According to the ICC, Hardik Pandya sustained an injury to his left ankle while bowling during the World Cup match that was played between India and Bangladesh in Pune, and it has been confirmed that the 30-year-old has not recovered in time.
The ICC also announced Hardik Pandya’s successor. Prasidh Krishna will take over Hardik’s position in the Indian squad. Parish Krishna is a lanky right-arm fast bowler. The unprofessional fast bowler parachuted into the playing group after they were cleared by the tournament’s event technical committee, which was on Saturday.
Krishna made just 19 white-ball appearances for India and was last seen at the international level just before the World Cup match against Australia, taking 1/45 from nine overs to snatch David Warner’s coveted wicket. That was when it was stolen.
Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey’s Confidence in Pandya
The team had to make two changes to compensate for Pandya’s all-round ability. In his absence, the management is playing with five bowlers, and in his place, Suryakumar Yadav is batting with six bowlers.
The management is not missing out on bowler Pandya; they made it clear that Mohammad Shami is in top form, but that does not mean he is not crucial to the balance of the team.
After the victory against England, the bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, said that he’s hopeful that Pandya will be back in action soon. Pandya was getting better at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. Mambray mentioned that the doctors are taking good care of Hardik and are in touch with both him and the NCA. They expect to give us more news in the next few days. This all happened on a Sunday.
According to a BCCI media release, Pandya was scheduled to join the squad ahead of the match against England in Lucknow but was not included in the squad.
Why India Have Little to Worry Over Hardik’s Return
The return date for Hardik has not been made known to the public. Team India is doubtful about worrying about his absence or pushing him back into the starting XI after sensational wins in the last two matches.
Right now, the concern that seems huge to the team because of his absence has been a lack of balance in the eleven, with discussions surrounding the line-up against New Zealand and England over whether India should field an extra batsman alongside the bowlers. The team ultimately made two changes.
Suryakumar Yadav was selected to complement No. 6 Hardik’s batting skills, while Shardul Thakur was rested, and a capable third player replaced Mohammed Shami. India still had only five bowling options, but thanks to Japsrit Bumrah and Shami’s brutal combination, the home side comfortably beat the two 2019 finalists.
“In fact, Shami, who was rested for the first four matches, proved to be the outstanding bowler for India, picking up nine wickets in two matches, including a record five-wicket haul. “Look, at the moment, no one wants to put the burden of travel on Hardik.”
He is already in Bangalore, and there is a good chance that he will rejoin the team there. It’s too early to say, but this match also doesn’t involve travel, so a tie-up with Bangalore is very likely,” a source told Cricket Next.
Hardik Pandya Records
Hardik became the first Indian to take four wickets and score more than thirty runs in a T20I in the same match.
He was also the fourth Indian to be given the name Player of the Match on his ODI debut.
He set the record for the most runs in a Test inning for India by scoring 26 runs in one over, the fastest ever in the ICC Champions Trophy final.
In the Test match that was played against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, Pandya scored his first Test century, setting a record for becoming the first Indian batsman who was able to score a Test century just before lunch.
