India have been in excellent form in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, winning all seven of their initial matches. However, a significant setback for India has been the injury to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He sustained an ankle injury when he twisted it while bowling against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground in Pune on October 19. On November 4 (Saturday), it was officially announced that Pandya would be unable to continue in the World Cup 2023 and would be replaced by pacer Prasidh Krishna.
Before his official withdrawal, there were reports suggesting that Pandya was making good progress in his recovery at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, where he had even resumed batting. Nonetheless, there remained questions about what led to his ultimate withdrawal. An anonymous BCCI official has now shed light on the circumstances that led to the star all-rounder's exit from the tournament.
In a conversation with PTI, the BCCI official revealed that Pandya had indeed resumed training at the NCA but encountered a significant amount of swelling in his left ankle. This swelling could not be alleviated with injections.
"As it has been said earlier, Pandya doesn't have any fracture and only had a minor tear. He had resumed training but suddenly considerable amount of swelling developed in left ankle region and he wouldn't have been fit to bowl. This is not some injury which could be managed with injections. Considerable swelling resurfaced on Thursday and unless it subsides, he can't do skills training for some more time," the official told PTI.
Hardik Pandya also expressed his disappointment after being ruled out of the World Cup. In a heartfelt message, he mentioned that he would continue to support the team.
"Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup. I'll 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," Pandya wrote on his social media account of X (formerly Twitter).
Coming to the World Cup 2023, India are underway in their clash against South Africa at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on November 5 (Sunday). After winning the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bat first. India were 91-1 after the end of the 10th over.