Pant called in as standby for injured Dhawan

LONDON: Rishabh Pant has been roped in as cover for the injured Shikhar Dhawan and is being flown to the UK for the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.

The Indian team management has decided to keep Dhawan under observation instead of ruling him out of the World Cup just yet after he sustained a thumb injury on his left hand in the match against Australia, and sought no replacements. While the opener is certain to miss the match against New Zealand on Thursday, there’s no official word on how long his recovery could take.

Under these circumstances, the Indian team has called up Pant as a back-up to allow him time to acclimatise to the conditions in the UK in the meantime, before a final call on Dhawan’s recovery is taken. The Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman will not be a part of India’s official 15-member World Cup squad yet.

Meanwhile Pant, who also auditioned amongst others as a potential No. 4 for India, had narrowly missed out on a World Cup berth to Dinesh Karthik when India’s 15-man contingent was formally announced in late April, with the selectors showing preference for the senior’s superior wicket-keeping skills.

Two days out from the New Zealand game in Nottingham, Dhawan was in Leeds for scans on his injured hand.