India faced a big setback after Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the T20 and ODI series against Australia. Hardik’s inclusion brought the right balance in the team but his ouster before the last bilateral series before the world cup will not let India play with their decisive playing 11 before the show piece event.
The BCCI confirmed Hardik’s injury, stating that he was struggling with lower back-stiffness again. Ravindra Jadeja was named his replacement for ODI series, while no replacement was named in his place in the T20 squad.
Hardik’s exclusion means a new lifeline to Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar who will have another chance of proving himself and getting picked for the world cup squad from nowhere. Shankar failed miserably with the bat in last year’s Nidahas trophy final and the selectors ousted him from their sights after the tournament.
An ordinary IPL meant that he was sidelined from the India A tour but he was in the resurgent terms in the last half of the year and was a regular in India A side. His impressive form with the bat brought him back into the Indian team for Australiasia limited overs series, replacing Hardik Pandya.
Ravindra Jadeja can also impress with his all-round skills in the ODI series and get back in the contention to be in the world cup squad.
