On 19 October, Pandya had slipped while playing against Bangladesh in Pune. 

Speaking to Sportskeeda.com, Wasim Akram said, “This squad looks good even without Pandya. If he is fit then well and good. It will be difficult to drop Shami now. I feel India shouldn’t risk Pandya (against England) because if it’s an injury to a hamstring or quad, then although you feel good initially, you could pull a muscle in the match. So let him recover 100 percent and then you can play him.”

Crediting the team’s management, the Pakistani cricket legend also added that whenever any player in the squad comes into the XI, he seems ready. 

“Credit to the team management that whenever any player in the squad comes into the XI, he seems ready. When Shami’s ball hits the seam, it can deviate either way. That’s why I think Shami for me was the player of the match, he said as quoted by Sportskeeda.com.

Mohammad Shami’s amazing 5 wickets

Mohammed Shami who is most experienced pacer was the picked among the bowlers during the team’s 2023 ODI World Cup match against New Zealand in Dharamshala on 22 October. Shami performed strongly against the Kiwis and picked up 5 wickets including Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry. India also defeated New Zealand and registered their fifth straight win in the World Cup.

Hardik Pandya to miss more matches?

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to miss out of India’s next two World Cup matches with one against defending champions England on October 29 in Lucknow and the other against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on 2 November. NCA sources told news agency PTI that, “Hardik is still under medication. While the swelling on his left ankle has subsided considerably, he will start bowling only towards the weekend. Right now, important is to give him time to recover.”

Furthermore, a BCCI source told ANI that, “Pandya has suffered a bad sprain but fortunately not a fracture. The BCCI medical team wants to take maximum precaution. He is likely to miss next two to three matches. The team wants him fully fit for the knock-out stage.”

(With agency inputs)

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Updated: 25 Oct 2023, 03:17 PM IST