BCCI Welcomes Rishabh Pant In England Ahead Of Pakistan Clash

Rishabh Pant has finally joined the Indian team in England for the ongoing World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batsman was initially not a part of the World Cup squad but had made it to the standby list. But he finally joined the squad this week although he is not part of the same. Pant is in England as a cover for injured Shikhar Dhawan.

Dhawan is currently sidelined with a hairline fracture to his thumb. Dhawan had suffered the injury during the win over Australia last Sunday. He was hit on the left thumb by Pat Cummins. He had gone on to score a fine century in the 36-run win but did not come out to field. Ravindra Jadeja had fielded for him throughout the match.

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Scans then revealed  hairline fracture, raising apprehensions that Dhawan might get ruled out of the tournament. However, the Indian team-management decided to keep their star opener under observation and called Pant as a cover. And on Saturday, the BCCI finally posted a picture on Twitter, welcoming Pant in England.

Look who's here ?#TeamIndia #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/V4y27pBYOC

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2019

Pant is unlikely to play in the World Cup and should use the opportunity as a learning experience. He had a stunning IPL where he scored 401 runs in 14 games and helped Delhi Capitals make it to the playoffs.

India skipper Virat Kohli, meanwhile, has revealed just how desperate Dhawan is to play for India.

“Dhawan is going to be in a plaster for a couple of weeks. After that we will assess where he stands,” Kohli said on Thursday.  “Hopefully, the injury heals quickly and he will be available for the latter half of our league games and semi-finals for sure.

“From that point of view, we want to hold him back, keep him here because he wants to play. I think that kind of mindset will help in healing the injury as well as he really wants to play,” he added.

India remain unbeaten in the ongoing World Cup after their clash against New Zealand was washed out on Thursday. The Men in Blue now have five points from three games with two wins and one washed-out contest. They will next take on Pakistan on Sunday.