Hardik Pandya during Cricket World Cup 2023© ANI
Indian cricket team batter KL Rahul confirmed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will not be available for the upcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 match against England in Lucknow on Sunday. Pandya picked up an ankle injury during the match against Bangladesh and he did not take part in the match against New Zealand as well. During the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Rahul said that Pandya is an important member of the team and he will be a big miss in a massive game like the England clash.
“Hardik has been a very important member of the team and he has been there and he does a very important role for the team. So not having him is also a bit of a miss for the team. But it’s unfortunate what happened,” said Rahul.
Rahul also added that the team has complete confidence on Suryakumar Yadav in Hardik’s absence and it will be a good chance for the explosive batter to prove his mettle on the global stage. Suryakumar came into the team for the New Zealand game but was unable to score big.
“We also at some point have to look at the now and the present is that he is not available for this game. Surya will probably get his chance and we know what Surya can do. So, our confidence is in Surya till Hardik comes back,” Rahul added.
India have batted second in all the five matches of Cricket World Cup 2023 till now and although they are currently unbeaten, Rahul believes that a chance to bat first will be important ahead of the knockout stages.
“It’ll be a great opportunity if we get to bat first before the next stage. In the next four games if we can get to bat first it’ll be a good challenge for us to just see how to pace the innings and it’s been some time since we’ve batted first,” said Rahul.
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