ICC World Cup 2023: Hardik Pandya ruled out, Prasidh Krishna replaces him

India allrounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the ODI World Cup due to the ankle injury he suffered against Bangladesh on October 19. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has replaced him in India’s squad.

Pandya had injured himself last month when he appeared to twist his left ankle while trying to stop a shot in his follow-through during his first over against Bangladesh. He played no further part in that match and was taken for scans. ESPNcricinfo understands he suffered ligament damage and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Prasidh, who has 29 wickets in 17 ODIs, last played for India in two ODIs against Australia during the series just before the World Cup. He took three wickets in those games and also took five wickets in as many matches for Karnataka in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Prasidh had marked his return from a long layoff due to a stress fracture of the back when India toured Ireland in August and was also part of the Asia Cup squad, though he was largely on the bench and only played one game against Bangladesh.

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… pic.twitter.com/b05BKW0FgL

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) November 4, 2023

After Hardik got injured, India dropped Shardul Thakur from their XI and brought in Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami, choosing to go in with six specialist batters, one allrounder, and four specialist bowlers in their World Cup games against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka. While Suryakumar has made only 63 runs at a strike-rate of 105 in three innings, Shami has been a gamechanger, picking up 14 wickets in 22 overs at an average of 6.71 and economy of 4.27.

With seven wins in seven games, India were the first team to qualify for the semi-finals following their 302-run win against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. Their next match against South Africa – on Sunday in Kolkata – could decide which team finishes top of the points table, before they play their fin