Hardik Pandya's injury continues to cast shadow over India's T20 World Cup preparations

The management of the Rahul Dravid-led team experimented with every facet of the game in the run-up to the 50-over World Cup in order to have backups ready for any situation. They had not, however, budgeted for Hardik Pandya.

Upon his bizarre left ankle injury sustained in Pune against Bangladesh, Dravid acknowledged that they lacked a backup for the all-round player and thus missed the World Cup.

The National Cricket Academy's (NCA) medical team put in a lot of overtime to get him back in the park for the tournament's final stretch. To the extent that, just a few days before the Board decided to finally look for a replacement for him on the World Cup technical committee, captain Rohit Sharma had expressed confidence in his return.

Reluctant to take a chance, the NCA chose a complex rehabilitation procedure. In a match with such high stakes, Pandya is the ideal player that the team simply cannot afford to miss. The attention has undoubtedly turned to the T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies in seven months after another defeat in the championship game.

Pandya shared a video of himself working out on social media on Thursday under the caption "work in progress." There's no guarantee he'll be fit for the home series against Afghanistan next month, and he hasn't been considered for the three Twenty20 Internationals in South Africa starting on Sunday.

The reasoning is straightforward: the NCA is not only focused on the short term profit. If things continue as they are, Pandya will have the chance to practice in an IPL match before the T20 World Cup. Presumably, that will be sufficient for him to re-establish his rhythm.

Despite his batting struggles, Pandya, the team's core at No. 6 in the white-ball format, can make significant contributions at pivotal moments. The team loses out on his important sixth bowling option, which has occasionally changed the course of the game.

Additionally, he is able to adapt to any surface, whether it be the fast and bouncy wickets in South Africa or Australia, or the slow and low pitches of the subcontinent, which are comparable to those the teams will face in the West Indies for the championship game.

The national team's selectors had negotiated Pandya's position as T20 captain in an effort to develop a youthful team that could play brave cricket. However, in part because of his propensity for injuries, they have resorted to thinking of Rohit Sharma as the team's captain for the World Cup.

Though a formal announcement has not yet been made, the current state of affairs suggests that Rohit will lead the team in the main event. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will adhere to the Dravid-Rohit formula for success because they do not have much time left.

When Pandya reunites with his captain at the Mumbai Indians, Rohit will have a firsthand chance to evaluate Pandya's development at the team. His explosive batting and useful medium pace will be essential in giving the team balance no matter what the situation.

After undergoing back surgery in 2019, Pandya didn't miss much of the 2019 international cricket season other than resting as part of workload management. Of the 55 T20Is India has played since June 2022, he has appeared in 38 of them.

During the six Twenty20 Internationals against Afghanistan and South Africa, the team management will have a chance to fine-tune the squad. Pandya was not included in the ODI team for their most recent tour, which took place in January 2022, but his expertise will be greatly missed in these foreign conditions.

Rohit has chosen not to participate in the white-ball tour, so Suryakumar Yadav will continue to captain the T20Is in lieu of Rohit. There, spin won't be the best option, and Pandya's absence may be regretted by the team.

For most of the young players who are on their first tour to South Africa, playing on the hard pitches could be challenging. It would have been beneficial for the youthful pace brigade in particular to have a little bit of Pandya experience.

The likes of Aiden Markram and David Miller will undoubtedly provide the Indian bowlers with a challenging test. Familiar conditions should help the flamboyant home batters perform well, so the inexperienced brigade will have a serious challenge.

India's World Cup attack could be influenced by how they perform.

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