Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an inspiring message for Shikhar Dhawan after the southpaw was ruled out of the ongoing edition of the ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales due to an injury. ((ICC World Cup 2019: Full Coverage))

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Wednesday that Dhawan won’t be able to take further part in the showpiece event as his injured thumb will have to remain in cast till mid July.

PM Modi took to social media to cheer up Dhawan, who had posted an emotional video after it was confirmed he won’t be able to take further part in the tournament.

PM Modi’s post read: “Dear @SDhawan25, no doubt the pitch will miss you but I hope you recover at the earliest so that you can once again be back on the field and contribute to more wins for the nation.”

Dear @SDhawan25, no doubt the pitch will miss you but I hope you recover at the earliest so that you can once again be back on the field and contribute to more wins for the nation. https://t.co/SNFccgeXAo

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 20, 2019

Dhawan’s absence will be a big blow for India as the left-hander hit form in the innings against Australia. Also, he has been India’s leading run-scorer in the last three ICC events and formed a prolific opening pair with Rohit Sharma.

Rishabh pant, who was not included in India’s initial World Cup squad, comes in as a replacement. He along with Ambati Rayudu were named as standbys when the squad was announced.

Pant has played five ODIs since his debut against West Indies in October last year and averages 23.25, and he was part of India’s squad during their home series against Australia this year. However, the selectors opted for Dinesh Karthik’s experience ahead of young Pant when they named the World Cup squad.

First Published: Jun 20, 2019 20:53 IST