The all-rounder sustained an injury in the match against Sri Lanka.
The Indian cricket team had a close fought contest against Sri Lanka in the last game of the Super 4s. However, Hardik Pandya, who went off the field with a slight niggle was the biggest headline for the last two days. The all-rounder was not seen warming up ahead of the big Final against Pakistan, and will miss out from India’s Playing XI for the big Final.
India and Pakistan are meeting in the Final of an Asia Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history. Both the teams have earned their spot in the Final blockbuster. While India have had a tremendous run in their campaign, the Pakistanis have had a roller-coaster of a ride. The last time the two sides met, the Men in Blue were clinical with their performance.
Having said that, the combination will be slightly different for the Men in Blue in the Final, with Hardik Pandya not being fit for the game. Being an all-rounder, he was an important player for the side and his absence will surely be felt.
One hard hitter replaces another! Rinku Singh was named as the replacement for the all-rounder in India’s XI. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star has got a wide range of shots, and is one of the best finishers the Indians have got in the shortest format. However, this will be his first appearance in the tournament, and it will come with a lot of nerves.
The left-handed batter has shown an impressive game playing for India in the shortest format. In just 24 innings, Rinku has accumulated 546 runs at an average of 42. To add to that, his strike-rate reads a massive 169.06, along with three fifties to his name. Though India will miss the services of Hardik, they will be rest assured about Rinku’s inclusion in the XI.
The Men in Blue will feel the absence of the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper with the ball. Hardik has opened the bowling for India in every game in the tournament till now. With him not in the side, Suryakumar Yadav will have to drift towards another option. Barring Abhishek Sharma’s ability with the ball, this also means that the Blues will be going in with just five pure bowlers in their arsenal. This is the versatility which an all-rounder brings to a side.
Along with Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube made his way back into the Indian XI. On the other hand, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, both missed out on their chance to play in the Final. Harshit’s performances in the last match against Sri Lanka was not impressive. But with Hardik not playing, many fans would have surely expected Arshdeep to stay in the XI, considering his expertise at the death.
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India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Pakistan XI: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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