Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden gave his views on whether all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s absence could hinder India’s performance in the World Cup. After a thumping victory over Bangladesh last night in the ICC Cricket World Cup, team India made it 4 wins out of 4, finding themselves second in the table with New Zealand continuing to assert their dominance in the tournament.
India’s comprehensive victory on Thursday was tainted by Hardik Pandya’s injury. He ended up injuring himself while attempting to stop a ball from going to the boundary. Pandya tried to use his right leg to stop the ball but slipped and twisted his ankle. He appeared to be in pain and got some treatment on his left leg, and his ankle was taped. Pandya had a small practice run but did not look good and had to be taken off the field.
The Australian cricket legend shared his views on the injury sustained by Hardik Pandya during the course of the match and how it would affect the team’s balance.
“No one in the world, really. He is that good an all-rounder at the moment, and when you think back into the history of the way he’s been performing, whenever he’s not playing for any team, there is always a balance issue. He provides that great stability.”
Hayden further added, “The good thing for India is that they’ve got batting cover. Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan can easily slot into that role, and then you get your specialist seamer Mohammad Shami back into the side, so that would also be a very good side. I don’t think you can have Jadeja batting up the order; I feel that’s fragility in the Indian batting line-up.
