India's World Cup squad is grappling with a substantial void in the absence of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, as they gear up for their crucial clash against New Zealand on Sunday, October 22. Pandya's left ankle injury, sustained during the face-off against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, has raised questions as to who will be considered to fill the void in India's Playing XI. While Pandya is currently under the watchful eyes of the BCCI medical team at the National Cricket Academy, coach Rahul Dravid dropped a big hint at the all-rounder's replacement in the match against New Zealand.
One of the prominent names in contention is fast bowler Mohammed Shami. Dravid's remarks about Shardul being viewed as the fourth seamer, with Pandya previously higher up the ladder, suggest Shami's imminent inclusion. While Dravid refrained from revealing the final XI, he did hint at both Shami and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin being strong contenders.
Dravid in the pre-match press conference, "Obviously, the three seamers, having someone like Shami sitting out there and bringing him in this game is a great option. In some cases, there is Ashwin who has obviously been sitting out, who has great quality as well. So, there are two or three combinations we could use considering this till Hardik gets back."
A man of few words, Dravid is not known for revealing team strategies. However, he did hint at potential combinations, "We certainly can go with, obviously, the three fast bowlers or the three spinners. With that kind of combination, we still could play Ash (Ashwin) and move Jadeja up."
Another intriguing aspect is the batting lineup. Between the choices of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, Dravid's statement seemed to tilt towards Suryakumar, especially with the requirement of a finisher. "I mean, it is nice to have Ishan... If you are looking for someone a little bit higher up the order, then maybe we might go with Ishan."
However, with the top order looking settled with Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, Kishan's placement seems uncertain.
"But again, Surya has also come into some great form against Australia, as we saw. Played a couple of fantastic innings. Absolutely fantastic player against spin, as we know. Left arm spin or off spin, or any kind of spin, for that matter," remarked Dravid, praising Yadav's prowess.
“And plus, the role may be for a middle-over role - so we will just have to see which one we want to - we are pretty clear about the kind of roles that people can play. So, if you are looking for someone who might be a bit of an enforcer for us in the lower middle order, then Surya is certainly someone who can do that,” Dravid concluded.
However, right ahead of India vs New Zealand clash, Rahul admitted that team will miss the balance Hardik provides.
“Hardik Pandya is an important player for us, an important all-rounder helps us balance the XI. We will work around and see what’s the best possible combination for us. We will have to work with the 14 we have. We will miss the balance Hardik provides,” Dravid concluded.
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