The Indian team is still recovering from the loss of Shikhar Dhawan when there was another injury scare, this time to all-rounder Vijay Shankar who was hit on the toe in the practice session, ahead of the match against Afghanistan. During Wednesday's training, a Jasprit Bumrah yorker hit Shankar flush on his toes and he was apparently in pain.
After being hit by the yorker, Shankar was reportedly seen in pain but was managing to stutter around. The source confirmed to PTI that the injury was not too serious and that the pain reduced as the day progressed. "Yes, Vijay was in pain but it has subsided by the evening. Hopefully, there's nothing scary," the source told PTI.
Shankar now becomes a very important player
The all-rounder now becomes an important member of the Indian squad, especially with the injury to Shikhar Dhawan. Shankar will be slotted in at the number 4 position and can also be a useful bowling option. Rahul will open the innings and along with Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar can be a viable fifth bowling option.
Rishabh Pant has already been included in the Indian side as Shikhar Dhawan's replacement. The left-hander was ruled out as he could not recover from the hairline fracture he suffered against Australia in a match where he also scored a century.
Shankar gave a very good account of himself in his debut World Cup match against Shikhar Dhawan on Sunday in Manchester. He scored 15 runs for India in the first innings and then went on to claim the wicket of Imam-ul-Haq on his very first ball for India at the World Cup. Also, he bagged the wicket of Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed to finish with figures of 2 wickets for 22 runs.
With this injury, India's list of injured players has grown - Dhawan is already out injured, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is out for two matches due to a hamstring strain. India will hope Shankar is fit before their next clash at the World Cup against Afghanistan on June 22.
However, if there is a hamstring tear, it will be very difficult for India to get Bhuvneshwar Kumar fit for the remainder of the World Cup. Khaleel Ahmed is in England as the net bowler, Deepak Chahar was there as another net bowler and one of these two could be roped in.
