Blow to India as Shikhar Dhawan Ruled Out for at least 3 Weeks With Injury

London, June 11, 2019:

India's prospects in the ongoing cricket 2019 have been dealt a severe blow as in-form India opener Shikhar Dhawan was Tuesday (June 11) ruled out of at least two World Cup matches after his left thumb was found to have a hairline fracture.

The team management has not yet named a replacement and sources have informed that they are hoping that Dhawan recovers within two weeks so that he can feature during the latter stages of the tournament.

Dhawan is certain to miss the upcoming two matches -- against New Zealand on Thursday and Pakistan on Sunday.

Dhawan along with physio Patrick Farhart, are currently in Leeds for consultation with specialists, as he wishes for a recovery till June 22, when India will play against Afghanistan in a group encounter.

The Indian team has KL Rahul, a specialist opener who can join Rohit Sharma at the top of the order. Rahul has currently been shifted to the lower middle-order in the presence of seasoned veterans Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.

If Rahul were to open, Vijay Shankar or Dinesh Karthik will come in the middle-order for the next two games.

Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are on BCCI's official stand-by list but Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer's name is also doing the rounds as he is a specialist No.4 batsman.

It may be mentioned that Dhwan's inspired ton led India to a convincing win over the Aussies in their second match in the World Cup 2019 campaign. Now, all eyes will be on Sunday's India vs Pakistan match as the arch-rivals are all set to collide amid rising emotions in a very crucial group match in the flagship event.

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