India will be without Hardik Pandya for their next two World Cup league encounters against England and Sri Lanka. He is slated to return only for the final two matches of the group stage against the Netherlands and South Africa. He is currently based at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru; while the initial plan was for him to join the team in Lucknow for the October 28 match, the schedule has changed. He is now expected to meet up with the team in Mumbai or Kolkata before the South Africa clash on November 5.
Hardik Pandya is set to be ruled out of India’s next two World Cup league games against England and Sri Lanka. Only the remaining two league games against South Africa and the Netherlands will see him return. Pandya, currently at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, was supposed to join the Indian team before the next match against England on October 28 in Lucknow, but that plan has now been altered. The all-rounder is expected to join the squad either in Mumbai or in Kolkata before the November 5 encounter against South Africa.
During the match against Bangladesh in Pune, Pandya suffered a mishap during his bowling follow-through, forcing him to limp off the pitch. Having bowled only three balls in the game, he was unable to play further. Subsequent scans showed no serious injury, though the impact left his ankle quite swollen.
Pandya is still undergoing medical treatment. The swelling in his left ankle has decreased significantly, but he isn't expected to start bowling again until the weekend. An NCA source emphasized that the most important thing right now is giving him the necessary time to recover. Fortunately, the injury was a bad sprain rather than a fracture, but the BCCI medical team is being extremely cautious. A BCCI source added that the goal is to have him at 100% fitness for the knockout rounds.
Pandya is a cornerstone of India's World Cup strategy. His versatility allows the team to maintain batting depth while having six reliable bowling options. Furthermore, his presence gives captain Rohit Sharma the flexibility to rotate spinners more effectively rather than relying on them to bowl from both ends.