Social media was flooded with memes after an ankle injury ruled out Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya from the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

 

The development was confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's global governing body, amid rising speculation over Hardik Pandya's recovery timeline in the past few days.

“India's unbeaten start to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup has received a massive hit with news that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has failed to recover from his ankle injury and will miss the remainder of the tournament,” the ICC's statement read.

Prasidh Krishna will replace Hardik Pandya in the Rohit Sharma-led side after the ICC's technical committee approved his name for inclusion in the home team's 15-member squad for the prestigious tournament.

“His place in India's squad will be taken by Prasidh Krishna, with the inexperienced fast bowler parachuted into the playing group after being approved by the tournament's Event Technical Committee on Saturday,” the statement added.

The Mumbai Indians all-rounder twisted his ankle earlier in the ICC World Cup in Pune, where the Men in Blue beat Bangladesh on October 19.

He missed India's subsequent games against New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka.

The absence of Hardik Pandya from the World Cup is a massive setback for Team India, considering there's no like-for-like replacement of him in the squad.

India head coach Rahul Dravid acknowledged that Hardik Pandya's unavailability hurts the balance of the team.

“Obviously, the sixth option is something that Hardik gave us. But we have been playing the last four games without the sixth bowling option,” Rahul Dravid said on the eve of India's World Cup fixture against South Africa on Sunday.

“We also played a couple of games in the Australia series before the World Cup without the sixth option. We won two of our games, in Mohali and Indore, when we played only with five bowling options.”

“So, we have responded really well to that challenge. Yes, of course, we probably won't have that sixth bowling option in these games. But the response of the team and the players has been really good when we have not had it. I think we have played enough games without having it,” Rahul Dravid added.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra shared similar sentiments. He termed the news related to Hardik Pandya a “big blow” to the Rohit Sharma-led team.

“Hardik Pandya ruled out of the World Cup. Big blow to the possibilities of having a sixth bowling option. India’s picked pacer Prasidh Krishna to replace him. Says a lot about how many players of Hardik's skill-set are available in India. Answer is 0,” Aakash Chopra posted on Twitter, now X.

On the other hand, ex-India speedster Irfan Pathan emphasized that Hardik Pandya's omission from the World Cup would not have much impact on India's World Cup campaign.

“It's a big blow for Hardik individually, but the team hasn't felt his absence much. Other teams, unlike India, haven't developed their bench strength and have faced challenges,” Irfan Pathan said.

“The selectors, team management, coach Rahul Dravid, and captain Rohit Sharma have built an impressive bench strength. When one player is replaced by another, there's confidence that the replacement is equally capable. There's no doubt about their performance,” he explained.

Meanwhile, international cricket pundits – Simon Doull, Ramiz Raja, and Matthew Hayden seconded Irfan Pathan's opinion.

“I do feel for Hardik Pandya. He is such a crucial part of the Indian side but has been down with injuries time and time again. It is a shame to miss a home World Cup because it doesn't come around that often and he will be bitterly disappointed. From a team point of view, those five bowlers that they have been using will be the five bowlers that they are going to get through this tournament. It slightly shortens their batting line-up, but what I saw the other day was that they play a little more conservatively which I don't mind through that middle period. Rohit Sharma is still going to get them off to a flying start. He has been playing a bit of selfless cricket. It changes a bit on how they play a bit because they don't have that security of an extra bowler. But these five bowlers, I'm not sure if I have seen a better bowling attack in World Cup cricket from any side, anywhere, at any time in the tournament,” Simon Doull told Star Sports.

“Doull is basically saying they are fine, thank you very much. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer coming back to form gives Rohit Sharma a bit more certainty. But I think they are fine. Shami is so good at the moment now…can you believe that spell. Yes Sri Lanka had an off day but that spell was superb. The skill set reminds me of Malcom Marshall. He used to just run in and kiss the deck and manipulate the seam in certain direction, he was a master,” former Australian opening batter Matthew Hayden noted.

“Hardik Pandya vice captaincy will also not be available for the Indian team, but they are a formidable unit. Shami…from the bench to where he is now, it just shows the ability of this Indian team. Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, all can bowl with the new ball. I actually compare them with the Windies of the 80s. Relentless pressure and deadly dangerous,” Ramiz Raja summed up.

“Pandya is a rare breed in Indian cricket, a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin and even Washington Sundar slot in as spinning all-rounders, but over the years, there has been a remarkable dearth of players who can bowl handy medium-pace and are competent with the bat. For a country that has so many resources to summon, it's amazing how the quest for an all-rounder of this ilk has borne only sporadic fruit. That's one of the reasons why, despite his supreme profligacy with the ball, India have persisted with Shardul Thakur, at best a poor man's Pandya,” one of India's senior-most cricket journalists, R Kaushik wrote.

“Pandya's return to full fitness, which has encouraged him to bowl at 140 kmph regularly, was the biggest short in the arm for India in the year or so leading up to the World Cup. He might not always be a ten-over bowler, but he is smart and canny and a far improved version of the Pandya that once believed that the only way to get wickets was to test out the bounce in the pitch. At No. 6, he provides class and firepower, gifted with the ability to read situations and react accordingly; he is a leader in his own right apart from being a top fielder. It’s a package impossible to replace,” he asserted.

Hardik Pandya reacted to his omission from the quadrennial event, stating that it was “tough” to digest the news.

“Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup. I will be with the team, in spirit, cheering them on every ball of every game. Thanks for all the wishes, the love, and the support has been incredible. This team is special and I'm sure we'll make everyone proud. Love, always, HP,” Hardik Pandya wrote on the microblogging site.

The Indian cricket team was the first to qualify for the semifinals after winning seven matches in succession in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.