ICC World Cup 2019: Injury Scare For Vijay Shankar Ahead of The Afghanistan Game

Another injury scare for India after getting a big blow in the form of Shikhar Dhawan‘s exclusion from the ICC World Cup 2019. This time, it’s Vijay Shankar, the Indian all-rounder who got hit on toe during a rain-hit training session on Wednesday. While practising a yorker from Jasprit Bumrah yorker hit his toes and he was seen in pain.

Though a team source informed PTI that there’s nothing serious. “Yes, Vijay was in pain but it has subsided by the evening. Hopefully, there’s nothing scary,” the source shared.

However, Shankar was seen roaming around in slippers, having a little limp on Thursday. He later tried to jog but wasn’t able to continue after half a lap. After that, he was seen doing some basic exercises while others were practising, doing fielding drills as well.

Before his selection, many criticised him. However, Shankar proved his importance by taking the wicket in the very first ball in his debut World Cup. He is one of the probable No. 4 batsmen in this Indian batting line-up but isn’t as regular as he should be.

Shankar bowls medium pace and picked up a couple of wickets against Pakistan including the captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. With Shikhar Dhawan’s exclusion from the tournament due to a thumb injury and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ruled out for two games due to a hamstring strain, Shankar’s injury will be crucial for the team.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to play in the England game on June 30 in Birmingham. The team management, though, is hopeful about Bhuvneshwar that he will be back in the squad.

In case of a hamstring tear for Bhuvneshwar, there will be a very little chance of his return. He was also seen doing jogging but didn’t bowl in the nets. Although there are a couple of options in the hand. In the worst case scenario, if Bhuvneshwar failed to make his cut, the team management can include veteran Ishant Sharma or fresh talent Khaleel Ahmed as the replacement.