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Injury to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has severely affected the balance of the Indian team for the crucial game against New Zealand in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Pandya suffered an injury during the match against Bangladesh and he was ruled out of the next match in Dharamsala.
Meanwhile, Former Indian cricket team opener turned expert Aakash Chopra feels that it will be hard to find the replacement of Pandya in the team. As per Chopra, explosive batsman Suryakumar Yadav should replace Pandya. He believes that pace bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur will be replaced by pacer Mohammed Shami to strengthen the bowling.
“Not ideal to have only five bowlers. Not ideal to have batting finishing at 7. But that’s the way it is. That’s what Hardik brings to the team. Balance,” wrote Chopra on social media platform X (earlier known as Twitter).
Notably, Pandya underwent scans following the injury in Pune on Thursday. He has flown to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for his recovery.
India have a long gap between the Dharamsala and Lucknow game, which is scheduled for October 29. Pandya is expected to join the squad in Lucknow.
Chopra’s playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
