3 times an injury hampered India's campaign in an ODI World Cup ft. Hardik Pandya

Ahead of their high-octane 2023 World Cup group-stage meeting against South Africa, Team India announced fast bowler Prasidh Krishna as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya.

Hardik, who injured his ankle against Bangladesh, was expected to return towards the business end of the tournament but has now been ruled out. The vice-captain is arguably the team's most important player and his absence will definitely be felt, although India seem to be doing fine as of now with an all-win record.

Hardik's injury is certainly a big blow, but this isn't the first time the Men in Blue have suffered a setback in the marquee ICC event. On that note, here are three times an injury hampered India's campaign in an edition of the ODI World Cup.

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#3 Dilip Vengsarkar in the 1983 World Cup

Dilip Vengsarkar was struck by a Malcolm Marshall bouncer.

The 1983 World Cup triumph is etched in Indian cricket history, but Dilip Vengsarkar wasn't part of the side in the closing stages of the tournament.

In the 14th match of the competition against West Indies, Vengsarkar was struck by a Malcolm Marshall bouncer when he and Mohinder Amarnath seemed to be building a partnership. The batter had to retire hurt as India lost the match from a decent position and didn't feature for the rest of the World Cup.

Despite being without one of their key men, Kapil Dev and his men pulled off an upset for the ages by beating the Windies in the historic final.

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#2 Ashish Nehra in the 2011 World Cup

Ashish Nehra was excellent in the Pakistan v India 2011 ICC World Cup Semi-Final.

The 2011 World Cup is another tournament in which India ended up with the trophy, beating Sri Lanka in the summit clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. A notable absentee from the Men in Blue's XI for the final was Ashish Nehra, who missed the contest with a fractured finger.

S Sreesanth replaced Nehra in India's side, but the fast bowler couldn't impress on short notice. He leaked 52 runs in the eight overs he bowled and was the hosts' most expensive bowler on the night.

Nehra, who was excellent in the semifinal win over Pakistan, was sorely missed in the final. Again, despite being without a key player, India managed to go all the way in cricket's most prestigious event.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan in the 2019 World Cup

Shikhar Dhawan missed most of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The 2019 World Cup is the only entry on this list that didn't go to plan for Team India. Despite being dominant for the most part of the league stage, Virat Kohli and his men fell short in the semifinal against New Zealand.

One of the reasons behind their semifinal exit was the performance of their top order, with three wickets falling cheaply. It wasn't India's first-choice opening combination, though, with Shikhar Dhawan playing only a couple of matches before being ruled out with a fractured thumb.

Dhawan seemed to be in excellent touch at the start of the World Cup and was also known to raise his game in ICC events, so his absence was a big miss for India. KL Rahul didn't do poorly at the top of the order, but it's safe to say that the left-hander would've had a bigger impact had he not gotten injured.