Hardik Pandya is expected to remain sidelined for two additional matches during the World Cup. He will miss the upcoming games against Sri Lanka and South Africa as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury sustained in the match against Bangladesh. Pandya hasn’t participated in any matches since October 19. According to information from sources, it appears that India will exercise caution and won’t rush his return until at least the final league stage game, which is scheduled against the Netherlands on November 12.
Hardik Pandya is a key member of the Indian Cricket Team and his absence is definitely leaving a very big hole in the team which could become the reason for a failure. In Pandya’s absence India is forced to leave out Shardul Thakur and include Mohammed Shami as the third pacer. Shami has not disappointed and made the full use of the opportunity. He has picked 9 wickets in just 2 matches. Shami is not going to lose his place in the team’s playing XI even after the return of Hardik Pandya.
This raises the question that who will get replaced by Hardik Pandya when he finally makes a return on 12th November. Suryakumar Yadav was included as the replacement for injured Hardik Pandya and he performed well in the game against England to help India reach a significant total which proved to be more than enough for a comfortable win for Team India. SKY has made the most of his opportunity and if he could justify his selection in the games against Sri Lanka and South Africa then it will become very hard to replace him with Pandya.
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On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer is continuously failing in the tournament. His weakness on short ball is identified by every team and he is being peppered with the shortish deliveries during his stay at the crease. Iyer is yet to make a significant contribution with his bat. If he fails in the upcoming matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa then it will be him who will sit out to make place for Hardik Pandya in the team. It is a battle between Iyer and SKY at the moment. The one who performs better against Sri Lanka and South Africa will retain his place.
India cannot leave Hardik Pandya out for long and his return is inevitable before the semi-finals. This means that no matter what happens only one of the Suryakumar Yadav or Shreyas Iyer would make the team in the World Cup 2023 semi-final. Hardik Pandya is recovering well and the Indian Team management does not want to rust his recovery process due to his recent struggles with injuries.