Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya likely to miss ODI World Cup 2023 game against defending champions England

Team India will be facing defending champions England on October 29 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow for their sixth game of the ODI World Cup 2023. Notably, the host team is only the team that has been undefeated in the tournament so far, with five out of five wins, which places them at the top of the points table.

However, despite being in the number one spot, Rohit Sharma and co. have suffered a huge blow ahead of their clash against the Jos-Buttler-led England side. India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to miss a few more games of the ongoing marquee event due to injuries he sustained in his left ankle during the Bangladesh clash at MCA in Pune. Notably, the Men in Blue opened the way for star middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav, despite his poor records in 50 overs of the game. The Mumbai Indians star was only able to get two runs before edging out a run in his last clash against the strong Kiwis.

“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.

Hardik Pandya has suffered a bad sprain but fortunately not a fracture: Reports

Meanwhile, the Indian Cricket Board revealed that middle-order batsman Hardik Pandya suffered some serious injuries, but there was no fracture at all. In addition, the officials say that the Gujarat Titans skipper is likely to miss two or three games of the marquee event; however, they are trying hard to make his return ahead of the knockout games of the ODI World Cup 2023.

“Pandya has suffered a bad sprain but fortunately not a fracture. The medical team wants to take maximum precautions. He is likely to miss the next two to three matches. The team wants him fully fit for the knock-out stage,” added an Indian Cricket Board source.