Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 1 (ANI): India captain Rohit Sharma shared an update on the status of injured all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Wednesday. He confirmed that Pandya, who is recuperating from an ankle injury, will not be available for the upcoming clash with Sri Lanka.
However, Rohit expressed optimism about Pandya’s recovery, stating that things have been progressing well. Rohit assured that the team is closely monitoring Pandya’s progress and hopes for his swift return to the squad.
“There is a positive update on Hardik. Things have gone well for him till now. Though he is not available for tomorrow’s match, Pandya is recovering well. We are monitoring his progress every day. Hopefully, he will be back soon. I can say only this much now,” Rohit said in a press conference ahead of India’s match against Sri Lanka in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
Pandya was declared out of India’s match against New Zealand in Dharamsala on October 22. Although Hardik’s stay at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) was prolonged, he was supposed to join the team before their highly anticipated match against England in Lucknow. However, the star all-rounder missed India’s two matches in the ongoing tournament.
Rohit-led India will lock horns with 1996 winners Sri Lanka in their upcoming match of the World Cup 2023 on Thursday and look to lock in their spot in the knockout stages with a victory.
The opener asserted that India will take a call on batting or bowling first after analysing the pitch situation in the morning at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Wankhede Stadium is a batting haven where fans can continue to watch high-scoring matches.
“We will assess the situation of the pitch in the morning and then we will take a call about hat first or ball first,” the India captain said.
The reigning champions, England, were defeated by the two-time world champions, India, in their previous match at Lucknow.
Jasprit Bumrah, who has taken 13 wickets in India’s first six games, is perhaps the best fast bowler in the competition thus far. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami has performed well since joining the team for India’s last two games. Bumrah is still in charge of the pace attack and has been instrumental in the host nation’s run towards a semi-final.
Talking about whether India will play three spinners and two pacers, Rohit said, “All sorts of combinations are possible. You can play with a set of three spinners and two pacers. If the situation demands it, we will have three spinners. I am keeping that option open. That is definitely an option for us to go for three spinners and two pacers. All options are open, and we will take calls as per the need of the time. All the bowlers are doing good and are in good shape. They don’t want to rest and are doing really good.”
The India skipper said that he analysed the situation before making any field changes in a match.
“You analyse the situation and make your move; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I try and look into all those situations, analyse all aspects of the game and pass a message to the bowlers and other teammates about field placements, etc. Full credit to those 10 people who have responded to the thought process of the team. It’s not my thought process; it’s the team’s thought process. I know that if a thing goes wrong or doesn’t go as planned, I am a bad captain so things are like this,” Rohit added.
The Indian team is in sensational form in the World Cup so far, winning all six matches convincingly to remain unbeaten in the tournament. The entire team is gelling and performing as a unit, firing a billion hopes of a third ODI World Cup.
When India plays Sri Lanka in the Cricket World Cup on Thursday, a strong wave of nostalgia will sweep through Wankhede Stadium. The match will be a replay of the 2011 final, which India won by six wickets to make the location a sacred ground for the nation’s cricket enthusiasts.
“In this World Cup, we have seen few good matches. Every team here is to win matches so I won’t say any match result is an upset. You can’t have a perfect game but you want a near-perfect game. That is what we are looking for. It’s been more than a decade since the last 2011 final, when we were against each other. Only Angelo is there in Sri Lanka and 2 people are here in our team. Every game is a different game,” he added. (ANI)
