The high-flying India are gearing up to take on defending champions England at the Ekana stadium in Lucknow on October 29, Sunday. But once again Rohit Sharma's brigade will miss Hardik Pandya in their final XI as the star all-rounder is still nursing his ankle injury.
Hardik Pandya picked up the injury during clash against Bangladesh on October 19. While bowling Hardik attempted to halt the ball with his foot, resulting in a slip and an unsettling injury to his left foot. Fellow players, including Virat Kohli, rushed to assist him. The on-field physio intervened, applying significant strapping to Hardik's shin and ankle after a considerable delay. Following the injury, Hardik was promptly taken to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. Owing to the injury Hardik couldn't feature in India's crucial match against New Zealand and is set to miss couple of more games.
Meanwhile right ahead of the clash against England KL Rahul revealed Pandya's replacement in the pre-match press conference on Saturday, October 28.
Rahul said that Suryakumar Yadav will be given a chance to feature in India's playing XI against the World Champions.
“We have quality players in the side. Hardik is a very important player in the team and not having him is a missed opportunity. He is not there in the XI so Surya is there in the game,” Rahul said.
In Pandya's absence, Suryakumar Yadav is the team's choice at number six. Following an unfortunate run out in his first game of the competition, the X factor player will be itching to make an impact.
On Fielding Medal
“You are watching this from the outside. So from the outside it will be something new for you people. But I have enjoyed the team atmosphere within the team. When you enter the field of play, there’s always pressure. In tournaments like these the team that handles the pressure better will do well, so we all are working individually to handle pressure in our own ways.”
On Toss
“Haven’t thought too much into toss. It will be a good opportunity to bat first to see how we pace our innings so it will be useful for the team.”
On Ekana Stadium's wicket
If we get a batting wicket, you have to put runs on the board to give your bowlers a chance to defend. Pitches are good and varies from place to place.
On Opponent
“We haven’t spoken much about the opposition throughout the tournament. They may not have had good results in the tournament but they are a dangerous team. We will try to beat them tomorrow. Firstly we don’t take any team lightly. Any team in their given day can be dangerous. No team starts as favourite in any sport. We focus on our strengths.”
On India's Middle Order
“Don’t think middle order is a concern. Good that seniors are getting runs like Rohit and Virat. Everyone who has got opportunity has done well. I understand that not big runs have been scored by some like Virat and Rohit but everyone is contributing.”
On Outside Noise
“I have tried to address the outside noise. For a long time I thought it won’t affect me, but last year it started affecting me so I decided that I will have to get mentally stronger and thick-skinned. No social media just like Rohit.”
India's squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
England's squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
‘Had umpire given it out..’: Babar Azam after Pakistan's dramatic one-wicket loss to South Africa
From Babar Azam to Jos Buttler: Take a quick look at World Cup 2023's flop XI so far
