Hardik Pandya likely to miss 'two or three' World Cup 2023 games due to injury: Report

Hardik Pandya could miss India’s next ’two or three’ World Cup matches, it was reported on Wednesday, as the all-rounder is still to recover from his ankle injury which he suffered in the World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh. On Tuesday, it was reported that he would be missing the England game , but it seems like the Gujarat Titans captain will be needing more time to recover. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Pandya suffered the injury after he slipped in his follow-through in the game on October 19 and was forced to miss the New Zealand match in Dharamsala on October 22. The BCCI had stated that Pandya will join the team straight in Lucknow for the England game on 29 October, however, news agency PTI has now reported that the all-rounder is still at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

“Hardik is still under medication. While the swelling on his left ankle has subsided considerably, he will start bowling only towards the weekend. Right now, important is to give him time to recover,” an NCA source told PTI. Read | Shami’s performance should force Team India to redraw their strategy With India winning five out of five World Cup matches so far and Pandya being a vital player for the team, the BCCI is in no hurry to rush the player into the playing XI and he is expected to sit out of the next two or three matches. “Pandya has suffered a bad sprain but fortunately not a fracture. The BCCI medical team wants to take maximum precaution. He is likely to miss next two to three matches. The team wants him fully fit for the knock-out stage,” added a BCCI source. Virat Kohli: **Amid imperfect conditions, the perfect chasemaster** Meanwhile, the newspaper Indian Express has also stated that Pandya has still not begun bowling and the plan is to give him a few more days to recover. He could join the team now in Mumbai or Kolkata. India’s next match is against defending champions England on October 29 in Lucknow followed by Sri Lanka match in Mumbai on November 2. They play South Africa in Kolkata on 5 November.