India’s head coach, Rahul Dravid, has revealed that either Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav could potentially fill in for Hardik Pandya during the 2023 World Cup match against New Zealand. The decision will depend on the specific batting style required for the playing XI.
On Sunday, India will be facing off against New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala. Unfortunately, the Men in Blue will be missing Pandya’s expertise for this game. During their match against Bangladesh, Pandya twisted his ankle while attempting to stop a drive from Litton Das during his follow-through with his leg.
Pandya hobbled off the pitch and was eventually dismissed from the game with New Zealand. The replacement for the all-rounder for the match against the Kiwis has not yet been announced by Rahul Dravid , who spoke to the media before to the game on Saturday. Instead, he clarified that India will pick Kishan if they want a batsman to bat up the order and will choose Suryakumar if they want an enforcer.
“I mean it is nice to have Ishan and he’s been playing well. He is a left-hander. But again, Surya has also come into some great form against Australia, as we saw played a couple of fantastic innings. Absolutely fantastic player against spin, as we know; left arm spin or off spin, or any kind of spin, for that matter. Plus, the role may be for a middle overs role, so we just have to see which one.”
Rahul Dravid
“We want to be pretty clear about the kind of roles that people can play. If you’re looking for someone who might be look to be a bit of an enforcer for us in the lower middle order Surya is certainly someone who can do that.”
Rahul Dravid
“If you’re looking for someone a little bit higher up the order, then maybe we might go with Ishan.”
Rahul Dravid
Kishan started with Rohit Sharma in the first two World Cup matches since Shubman Gill was unavailable due to sickness. The left-handed batsman struck out against Australia before scoring 47 runs against Afghanistan.
Suryakumar, on the other hand, got two fifties in the ODI series against Australia prior of the World Cup.
Bee attack on Kishan, Suryakumar suffers injury scare
In Dharamsala, both Kishan and Suryakumar had to cut short their respective net sessions on Saturday.
Ishan Kishan was stung by a bee and fled the nets. According to accounts, the opening batter was seen by physios before leaving the training facility holding his neck.
Suryakumar was struck on the right wrist. He, too, exited the practice session holding his right wrist, and the physio brought him an ice pack.