Cricket World Cup - "Pretty Clear On XI": Rahul Dravid's Big Hint On Hardik Pandya's Replacement vs New Zealand

Ahead of the India vs New Zealand Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Dharamsala on Sunday, the big question for the hosts is finding Hardik Pandya's replacement. The star allrounder was injured during India's previous match against Bangladesh and will not be playing against New Zealand. Both the teams are undefeated so far, and the victor will consolidate its place in the top of the Cricket World Cup standings.

Hardik Pandya's absence does upset the balance of the Indian playing eleven but head coach Rahul Dravid dropped good enough hints about Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav being in contention without confirming the preferred combination for the World Cup game against New Zealand on Sunday. Pandya has injured his left ankle while bowling during the previous match against Bangladesh in Pune and is currently under supervision of BCCI medical team at National Cricket Academy.

"...obviously, he (Hardik) is an important player for us, so we will have to work around that and see what is the best combination that we can come up with. We will have to see what works best for these conditions and these wickets. But probably might not have the kind of balance that we probably used in the first four games," Dravid was very practical in his thought-process.

That Shami could come into the picture was clear when he termed Shardul being looked as the fourth seamer in the set-up where Pandya was ahead in the pecking order. Dravid didn't disclose the playing XI and Hardik's possible replacement but hinted that besides Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin is also an option.

"Obviously, the three seamers, having someone like Shami sitting out there and bringing him in this game is a great option. In some cases, there is Ashwin who has obviously