India managed to win their last Super-4 match against Sri Lanka, but the team’s troubles deepened when Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma had to leave the field due to injuries. Hardik Pandya took the wicket of Kusal Mendis in the first over but then walked off the field and did not return. Abhishek Sharma decided to leave the field in the 10th over. Both players were struggling with hamstring injuries. After the match, India’s bowling coach, Morné Morkel, gave an update on their injuries.
In a press conference, Morkel said, “Both of them experienced cramps during the match. Hardik will be examined tonight and tomorrow morning, and we will decide accordingly. But it was just cramps for both of them during the game. Abhishek is fine.”
Towards the end of the match, Tilak Varma was also seen leaving the field limping, though no update has been given regarding his injury.
India finished the game with three additional fielders — Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Shivam Dube.
A Wake-up Call for Team India
Morkel believes this is a wake-up call for the team, as their overall performance so far in the tournament has not been up to the mark.
He admitted, “I don’t think we’ve shown our complete game in this tournament. After every match, we discuss the areas where we want to improve. Batting-wise, can we rotate the strike better under pressure, run more between wickets, and save partnerships? From a bowling perspective, we need to improve our length, accuracy, and decision-making in the first 10 overs, and be smarter in using variations like yorkers in the middle overs.”
He added, “On the field, we have worked hard on catching in the lights, so perhaps it’s just a confidence issue. There is still work to be done in every department. We are not fully ready in any sense, and we know it.”