IND vs NZ: Who will replace Hardik Pandya in India XI?

By Umama Momin
Published on | Oct 21, 2023

No Hardik Pandya for India

Indian vice-captain has been ruled out of NZ clash after twisting his ankle against Bangladesh

Image Credit: AFP

Who will replace Pandya?

With India's premier all-rounder unavailable, there are 5 players who can take his spot

Mohammed Shami

Senior pacer can fill India's third speedster's spot, maintain the six bowlers' balance

Suryakumar Yadav

Hardik leaves a big void in India's batting firepower, opening doors for Suryakumar Yadav to replace him at No. 6

Ishan Kishan

Kishan, who featured as an opener in the first two games, can provide variety with his left-hand batting style lower down the order

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin can be an ideal replacement to maintain the all-round balance of the side, but Dharamsala pitch probably won't offer enough spin assistance

Shardul Thakur

India can also ask bowling all-rounder Thakur to bat higher up the order but their batting depth would suffer immensely in that case

Ideal Playing XI

India have looked assured with 6 bowling options this tournament but now they'll probably have to make 2 changes to fill in for Hardik