Ligament damage rules Hardik out of England match

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will miss a second consecutive match of this World Cup – Sunday’s match against England – as he continues to recover from the ankle injury he suffered against Bangladesh in Pune .

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Hardik suffered minor ligament damage. He will undergo a fitness test on Thursday before the BCCI medical team decides on his return date.

After the match against Bangladesh, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had said there was “no major damage” to Hardik, and the all-rounder was referred to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for treatment. Hardik subsequently missed the New Zealand match, with the BCCI expecting him to rejoin the team in Lucknow.

To compensate for Hardik’s all-round skills, India played Suryakumar Yadav and replaced Shardul Thakur with Mohammed Shami against New Zealand. Suryakumar was bowled out for 2 but Shami, playing his first match of this World Cup, notched a five to help India restrict New Zealand to under 300.

However, as the Lucknow pitch is expected to help the spinners, India might consider bringing in R Ashwin for Shami. The move will also provide the batting cushion in the order.

India currently lead the points table and are the only undefeated team in the tournament, with five wins from as many matches. After England, they will face Sri Lanka at Wankhede on November 2.