Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan was on Tuesday ruled out of the World Cup for three weeks due to a thumb fracture. The left-hander, who scored 117 off 109 balls against Australia and helped India to a massive total of 352, went through precautionary scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of injury on his swollen left thumb.
During the course of his innings, the 33-year-old looked in considerable pain after being hit by a rising delivery from Nathan Coulter-Nile. Dhawan did not come out for the second innings and Ravindra Jadeja fielded.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Dhawan is now expected to miss India’s fixtures against New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Indies and England -- which are all scheduled to be played in June.
In Dhawan’s absence, India are likely to open with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, which would mean they have to, once again, make a decision on the number four slot, which was filled by Rahul.
Standbys Rishabh Pant and Ambati Rayudu are in contention to replace Dhawan. However, according to reports, the team management might also push for India A captain Shreyas Iyer as he is a specialist No.4 batsman.
Dhawan is being assessed by Patrick Farhart and specialists are being consulted right now to get a clear idea on his availability. Dhawan didn’t take the field due to the injury during the clash against Australia and Ravindra Jadeja fielded in his place for the entire 50 overs.
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