Injured Dhawan Still Under Observation, Pant Flown in as Cover
The BCCI has said that Dhawan is currently under observation, but will not return from England.
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The BCCI has said that injured Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan is currently under observation, but will not return from the ICC World Cup in England and Wales. However, Rishabh Pant was brought in as a cover for him, PTI reported quoting a BCCI official.
In a tweet on Tuesday, 11 June, the cricket board said that the opener’s progress would be monitored, but did not mention a replacement or a cover.
“Team India opening batsman Mr Shikhar Dhawan is presently under the observation of the BCCI medical team. The team management has decided that Mr Dhawan will continue to be in England and his progress will be monitored,” the statement read.
Rishabh Pant Brought in as Cover for Dhawan
Rishabh Pant was brought in as a cover for injured Dhawan on Wednesday, even though the latter will continue to stay with the team and undergo treatment for his injury, PTI reported.
Pant is yet to be named as replacement for Dhawan as the BCCI is still hopeful that the India opener will recover from his injury in two to three weeks.
Dhawan, who roared back to form with a belligerent 117 in India's last World Cup game against the Aussies on Sunday, got hit on the thumb by a Pat Cummins delivery during his 109-ball knock. While he continued to bat with the injury, Ravindra Jadeja took over when India came out to field.
Earlier, there had been reports saying Dhawan had been ruled out of at least two World Cup matches after his left thumb was found to have a hairline fracture.
A report in IANS said the fracture line has only been detected on CT scan and no fracture was detected post X-ray.
This saw Dhawan travel to Leeds for further consultation. It is believed that while the team can apply for a replacement any time, they want to be certain on Dhawan's injury status and recovery time before deciding on whether to call a replacement.
Going into the game against Australia at The Oval, Dhawan didn't have the best of starts to this year's World Cup, but back at his favourite hunting ground, the opener looked in fine spirit as he hit his first hundred of the tournament.
Dhawan's loss is colossal for Virat Kohli and Co., especially with the left-hander boasting of an exceptional record in ICC tournaments.
In 20 matches across the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, Dhawan has 1,238 runs with six hundreds and four fifties, averaging 65.15 with a strike rate of 98.25.
In 10 World Cup matches, he has racked up 537 runs at 53.70 with a strike rate of 94.21.
India will next take on New Zealand on 13 June before squaring off with arch-rivals Pakistan on 16 June.
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
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