NEWS
Follow UsIn a big blow, Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the entire World Cup, which prompted the Indian selectors to name Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna as a replacement. The Event Technical Committee of the World Cup approved the change on Saturday, and Krishna joined the team in Kolkata.
The Baroda all-rounder provided much-needed stability to the Indian side, and his presence allowed India to lengthen the batting order. However, he had ligament damage when he walked off with discomfort in his left ankle after an attempt to stop the ball in his follow-through in the 9th over of India’s game against Bangladesh.
He has been at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru since then and was ruled out of the match against New Zealand and England, but when he didn't return for the Sri Lanka encounter in Mumbai, concerns about his fitness started to grow.
Meanwhile, Krishna, who has played 17 ODIs, had his own share of struggles in the lead-up to the World Cup and only returned to professional cricket during the Ireland series - the same series in which Jasprit Bumrah also made a return. Krishna also played for Karnataka in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy recently. His inclusion means India have five pacers in the squad to choose from ahead of the South Africa encounter.
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 consists of Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket and ETC Chair), Chris Tetley (ICC Head of Events), Hemang Amin (Acting CEO - BCCI), Gaurav Saxena (General Manager – Operations, BCCI), Russel Arnold and Simon Doull (Independent Representatives).
