"It is a huge setback for Hardik personally but the team hasn't missed him much" - Irfan Pathan on Hardik Pandya getting ruled out of 2023 World Cup

Irfan Pathan feels Hardik Pandya getting ruled out of the 2023 World Cup is a massive blow to the player but highlighted that the Indian team haven't missed him much in their last few matches.

Hardik sustained a left ankle injury while trying to stop a ball off his own bowling in India's league-stage clash against Bangladesh. Although he was expected to be back for the business end of the tournament, he has now been ruled out, with Prasidh Krishna named as his replacement in the squad.

Reflecting on the development during a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan opined that Hardik Pandya's absence might not impact the Indian team adversely. He said:

"It is a huge setback for Hardik personally but the team hasn't missed him much. If it had been any other team apart from the Indian team, they have not built their bench strength. They have struggled a lot."

The former India all-rounder cited the example of the impact on Pakistan due to Naseem Shah's injury-enforced absence to highlight that other teams don't have sufficient bench strength. He observed:

"See what happened with Pakistan. When Naseem Shah got injured, where did they go? They didn't go forward, they went back. They brought Hasan Ali. The Indian team is not in that situation."

Pathan credited Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and the selectors for ensuring that India are not in a similar situation. He elaborated:

"The selectors, team management, coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit Sharma have developed such a fantastic bench strength that if one guy goes out and the other comes, you feel - 'Oh, he is also there'. It's not how will he perform."

The Men in Blue brought in Suryakumar Yadav for Hardik and Mohammed Shami for Shardul Thakur once the Baroda all-rounder got injured. They will likely stick with the same combination for the remainder of the tournament if everyone is fit and available.

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"You get readymade players here" - Irfan Pathan on Mohammed Shami excelling in Hardik Pandya's absence

Mohammed Shami has picked up 14 wickets in three games. [P/C: AP]

Irfan Pathan pointed out that Mohammed Shami excelling in Hardik Pandya's absence reflects the Indian team's might. He stated:

"You get readymade players here, you get Mohammed Shami, who wasn't playing earlier but he performed. So not missing Hardik Pandya that much shows what the Indian team's strength is and the level at which the Indian team is standing at the moment."

Rohit Sharma and company have already booked their spot in the semi-finals. They will face South Africa in their next game in Kolkata on Sunday, and a win in that match will ensure that they finish the league stage as the table-toppers.