- Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the rest of ICC World CUp 2019.
- The opener had sustained a fractured thumb against Australia.
- Rishabh Pant will be replacing him.
Shikhar Dhawan, the in-form Indian opener, has been ruled out of the rest of the ICC World Cup 2019 courtesy of a thumb injury in the left hand he sustained during the match against Australia, it has been confirmed on Wednesday. The 33-year-old cricketer was under the observation of the BCCI’s medical team for the past two weeks. However, scans revealed that he had sustained a fractured injury that would need a longer recovery time, rendering him unavailable for the remainder of the tournament.
This would be a disappointing news for the veteran opener, who had lived up to his expectation of delivering in the ICC events. In the two games that he played, Dhawan had scored 125 runs at an average of 62.50.
Official Announcement ?? – @SDhawan25 ruled out of the World Cup. We wish him a speedy recovery #TeamIndia #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/jdmEvt52qS
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 19, 2019
“Following several specialist opinions, he will be in a cast till mid-July and is ruled out of the World Cup. Dhawan’s fracture is at the base of the first metacarpal on his left hand,” India’s team manager Sunil Subramaniam said. “We have requested for Rishabh Pant as a replacement.”
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The injury in question was sustained during India’s second World Cup game against Australia. It was Pat Cummins high bouncer that caused the damage. Although Dhawan went on to manage a century in that match, he had to be treated for after the first innings by physio Patrick Farhart. He didn’t come to field in the second innings as well. Later in the contest, the left-hander was captured in the dressing room with an ice pack wrapped over his thumb.
KL Rahul, who had been promoted to the opening slot against Pakistan, will continue to play in that role as a result. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is set to be inducted into the Indian squad with the management having completed with the formalities. The young wicket-keeper had been roped in earlier as a standby.
While an abrupt end to Dhawan’s campaign, it will be a golden opportunity for Pant to showcase his skills at the biggest cricketing platform. He was a strong contender for the India’s No. 4 spot before a much experienced Dinesh Karthik getting the nod in the 15-man contingent. It remains to be seen who will make it to the spot now, with Vijay Shankar already impressing.
There was no word on Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury.
