Pandya, third Indian player injured in three months

Another injury

Recently the Indian team’s injury management programme has been much discussed and criticized and it is in the news once again due to the collapse of Hardik Pandya in the middle of the match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup at Dubai on Wednesday.

He lay down on his back after bowling the fifth ball of the 18th over of the match. Pandya was taken off the field on a stretcher. According to the India team’s management, it was an acute lower back injury. They were, however, unable to determine the exact cause of the injury because he was also experiencing back spasms.

All your love and support is going to make me come back stronger! Will keep you guys up to date on my recovery. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/qp1ryrb0wv

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) September 20, 2018

This is the third time an Indian player went down in the middle of an important match in the past 3 months. First, it was Bhuvaneshwar Kumar who got injured in the final ODI against England, then it was Ashwin whose injury worsened during the fourth Test against England and now it is Pandya.

Also read: These two players are set to miss out next Vijay Hazare encounter! 

The replacement

Almost an hour after the sad incident, the team management informed that Pandya was being monitored and was being able to stand. The next day it was announced that Pandya has been ruled out from the tournament.

Hardik Pandya ruled out of #AsiaCup2018 with acute back injury, Deepak Chahar likely replacementhttps://t.co/VhOS4aWq4I pic.twitter.com/UTKiJQFSP6

— The Field (@thefield_in) September 20, 2018

Medium-pacer Deepak Chahar has been asked to replace Pandya for the tournament. However, many are critical of the Indian team’s management and think that the BCCI needs to figure out a way to ensure that their best players don’t just drop out of matches with injuries.