'It Was the 5th Ball..': When Did Hadik Pandya Came to Know About His World Cup Exit

Team India on Saturday dealt a major blow with Hardik Pandya getting ruled out of the tournament. The all-rounder couldn’t recover from the ankle injury suffered in the game against Bangladesh in Pune last month. After spending weeks at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, Hardik’s final assessment on Friday suggested no chance of a comeback in the ongoing tournament. Ultimately, the vice-captain was out with injury and replaced by Prasidh Krishna.

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As reported by Indian Express, Pandya was asked to bowl in the nets on Friday as the strength and conditioning coaches advised him to gradually increase his speed. At the same time, the support staff didn’t want him to put too much pressure on his ankle.

The report further stated that Pandya didn’t face any issue after bowling the first three balls. The next ball, he decided to increase the intensity and it was then he felt a bit of pain in his leg. Pandya informed the support staff about the pain in the right ankle and then bowled the fifth ball with 80 percent intensity which further added to the pain.

The medical team at the NCA then decided to go for another round of scans which showed a swollen bone which would take another few more weeks to heal. The same was conveyed to the BCCI

“It was then that the BCCI informed the Indian team management and selection committee to pick a replacement,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying.

Hardik’s heartfelt note to fans

Pandya, on Friday, wrote a heartfelt stating that missing the rest of the ODI showpiece is a fact that’s ‘tough to digest’ but says he will be cheering his India teammates and expects them to make ‘everyone proud’.

“Tough to digest the fact that I will miss out on the remaining part of the World Cup,” Pandya wrote on his social media accounts soon after ICC announced the news.

“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,” he added.

Krishna – the replacement

Prasidh Krishna, who was approved by the tournament’s Event Technical Committee, has recently returned to international cricket after an injury layoff. The 27-year-old has so far played 17 ODIs for India and picked 29 wickets.