Team India batting coach Sanjay Bangar briefs the media ahead of India vs NZ match, on Wednesday. (Source: Twitter)A hairline fracture on Team India’s opener Shikhar Dhawan’s left hand had the team management worried for most of the Tuesday before they decided to keep him under observations for some time. On the eve of India vs New Zealand match, on Wednesday Team’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar came before the media and updated about Dhawan’s injury.
Sanjay Bangar in PC: Will take 10-12 days to assess full extent of damage for Shikhar Dhawan. We don’t want to rule out a precious player like him. KL Rahul automatically moves to the top. We have a few options for no.4. #IndvNZ #CWC19
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) 12 June 2019
Bangar has given an update on opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan’s availability in the ongoing World Cup. There were apprehensions over Dhawan’s availability after he suffered the injury on his thumbs.
Dhawan suffered a thumb injury during the 36-run win over Australia. He was hit on his left thumb by a delivery from Nathan Coulter-Nile early in his innings and needed medical attention. Dhawan was clearly struggling after receiving the blow but had gone on to score a sublime ton. He was eventually out after scoring 117 off 109 balls. He, however, had not come out to field at all with Ravindra Jadeja taking his place in the field.
Sanjay Bangar confirmed that KL Rahul “automatically moves to the top” in the absence of Dhawan while the team will assess the few options for no.4. Dhawan will be assessed for 10-12 days before a final call is taken,” he adds. Vijay Shankar is one of the options, if & when required. It’s good to have back up. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant is set to join the Indian team in England as a cover for Dhawan. The wicketkeeper-batsman will not be a part of the 15-man squad but can be added to the squad if Dhawan fails to recover.
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India will definitely be desperate to see Dhawan recovering as quickly as possible. Dhawan is not only in good form at the moment but has also a fantastic track record in the ICC tournaments. Dhawan was the top score in the last two Champions Trophy held in England. He was also India’s top run-scorer at the last World Cup. With Dhawan out of action now, KL Rahul looks set to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the upcoming games.
