Shikhar Dhawan Ruled Out Of World Cup For 3 Weeks With Thumb Injury
India was dealt a huge blow on Tuesday as Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of World Cup action for three weeks following a thumb fracture.
The India opener underwent precautionary scans earlier in the day which confirmed a fracture.
A source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India said Dhawan could take at least a month to recover fully.
Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are India’s standbys and one of them could replace Dhawan in case he is ruled out of the rest of the tournament.
The team management, though, may push for Mumbai batsman and India ‘A’ captain Shreyas Iyer, as he is a specialist No.4 batsman and is currently in England.
Dhawan was the architect of India’s thumping victory over Australia in the World Cup on Sunday. He played through pain after being hit on the left thumb by a rising delivery from pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Despite being in considerable pain he carried on bravely to score 117 off 109 balls.
Later, he did not take the field when the Aussies batted and Ravindra Jadeja fielded in his place for the entire 50 overs.
Following Tuesday’s precautionary test report physio Patrick Farhart will take a call on his participation in the Thursday’s game against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
The World Cup, which started May 30, ends July 14. Agencies