ODI World Cup 2023: Hardik Pandya ruled out of tournament with ankle injury, Prasidh Krishna named as replacement

India's ODI World Cup 2023 campaign suffered an enormous setback as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with an ankle injury.

Hardik Pandya tried to stop a ball from going to the boundary off his own bowling during India's game against Bangladesh on October 19 and twisted his left ankle. He limped off the field after the incident and missed the subsequent games against New Zealand, England, and Sri Lanka. Now, the Baroda all-rounder has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after failing to recover in time.

Young Karnataka pacer Prasidh Krishna has replaced Pandya in India's squad after being approved by the tournament's Event Technical Committee on Saturday, November 4. Krishna will be available for selection during India's upcoming encounter against South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 5.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 consists of Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket and ETC Chair), Chris Tetley (ICC Head of Events), Hemang Amin (Acting CEO - BCCI), Gaurav Saxena (General Manager – Operations, BCCI), Russel Arnold and Simon Doull (Independent Representatives).

Hardik's batted only once in the four games that he played in the World Cup. He scored an unbeaten 11 off eight balls in India's six-wicket win in their first game of the showpiece event against Australia. He also picked up five wickets with the ball. Meanwhile, Krishna has the experience of playing 17 ODIs and two T20Is for the 'Men in Blue'. In ODI cricket, the 27-year-old has had an impressive start, as he has picked up 29 wickets at an average of 25.59 and a strike rate of 27.38.

India's pace attack looks quite settled with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami delivering on a regular basis. The latter has picked up 14 wickets in the three matches he has played so far in the 10-team event. Mohammed Siraj, who wasn't in great rhythm in the initial games, hit his straps against Sri Lanka, bagging a three-for. Krishna will have to wait for his chances but the experience he will gain from staying around the Indian team will certainly help him immensely.