Indian cricket team opener Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out of the 2019 ICC World Cup due to a thumb injury he picked up during the match against Australia.
Dhawan, who played through the pain against the Aussies on June 9, hitting a match-winning 117 off 109 balls, has sustained a fracture which could take more than three weeks to recover. Dhawan, the Man of the Match, ignored the pain after being hit on the left thumb by a rising delivery from Aussie pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile.
The 33-year-old didn't field during the Australian chase, with Ravindra Jadeja replacing him for the entire 50 overs. After the match, he underwent scans, which revealed the fracture.
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Dhawan, who hit form with the ton against Australia, will be sorely missed by the Indian team management. Skipper Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Ravi Shastri would be deliberating a Plan B before India’s next match — against New Zealand in Nottingham on June 13.
Delhi batsman Rishabh Pant or Hyderabad’s Ambati Rayudu are likely to be called in as replacement for Dhawan.
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There are also rumours that the team management might call up Mumbai batsman and India A skipper Shreyas Iyer as the replacement. Iyer, a specialist No. 4 batsman, is currently in England. If he is roped in, then there is a likelihood of seeing KL Rahul open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma.
The ICC World Cup, which began on May 30, ends on July 14.
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