Injury Prone Cricketers Who Are Present In IND’s Squad For SL Tour
Hardik has suffered from injuries in recent times [X]
The Indian squad for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka was announced a couple of days ago. The core of the team from the World Cup 2023, and T20 World remains the same, with hardly any surprises.
Perhaps the only surprising pick was having Suryakumar Yadav being appointed as the new T20I captain over favourite, Hardik Pandya. Chief selector, Ajit Agarkar and newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir stated that Hardik was not appointed the captain because of his injury status, and not the form.
With a hectic schedule coming up for Team India, injury management will be a concern for the new regime. However, the current Indian squad for SL tour does have a couple of injury prone players.
Injury prone players who are present in IND squad
Hardik Pandya
Hardik was the front-runner for the T20I captaincy post after Rohit Sharma's retirement, but his recurring injuries became his roadblock as the management went ahead with Suryakumar, who only plays one format, and can manage the injuries better. Hardik has worked on his fitness, but his track record speaks a different story.
Suryakumar Yadav
Surya was appointed as the T20I captain, stating that he has a better injury record than Hardik. However, in recent times, even SKY has suffered from injuries. The T20I captain was injured ahead of IPL 2024, and missed a couple of games for Mumbai Indians.
Washington Sundar
A supremely talented player, but Washington Sundar's international career has been marred by injuries. Just when you feel Washi is finding his feet at the international level, his injury concerns come up, and the talented all-rounder gets ruled out. A couple of injury free series will do wonders for him in the longer run.
Shreyas Iyer
Another extremely talented batter who's career has been hampered by injuries. Iyer dropped an all-timer in the World Cup 2023, batting at number 4, but he suffered from back issues, and hasn't played for India since. Moreover, he missed the IPL 2023 season because of a recurring back injury, and now finds himself lost in the shuffle as new players have emerged.
Rishabh Pant
Pant suffered from a horrific accident a couple of years ago, and it took him a while to get back to full fitness. His first international assignment after the recovery was the T20 World Cup, but with numerous Test matches coming up in the next few months, Pant's fitness will be tested in the game's longest format.