ICC World Cup 2023: Star all-rounder Shakib failed to overcome a thigh injury he suffered during Friday's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand
Shakib Al Hasan (Pic: AFP)
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 group stage match against India in Pune on Thursday in a major blow to the Tigers' hopes of defeating the in-form tournament hosts.
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Star all-rounder Shakib failed to overcome a thigh injury he suffered during Friday's eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in Chennai. Now in his fifth World Cup, Shakib scored 40 then completed a return of 1-54 with his left-arm spin before hobbling off the field.
Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinga said Wednesday that 36-year-old Shakib would undergo a fitness test on the morning of the game. But when Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto, deputising as skipper, walked out for the toss, it was clear Shakib had been sidelined.
Fellow left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed took Shakib's place in the team, with Hasun Mahmud replacing dropped paceman Taskin Ahmed. Najmul called correctly and opted to bat on a surface expected to favour run-scoring. India, bidding for a fourth successive win at the World Cup, were unchanged.
Also Read: Afghans relish new lease of life
Bangladesh have lost their last two matches after starting the ICC World Cup 2023 with a six-wicket win over Afghanistan.
Speaking at the toss, Bangladesh's stand-in skipper Shanto said, "Proud moment for me and my family. We'd like to bat today. Looks like a fresh wicket. If we put some good score, it'll be good for the team. He (Shakib) is struggling a bit, and Nasum is coming in for him. We have some great memories against India, hopefully, we continue our form. I hope it'll be a great match. We love to see the crowd, hopefully, they'll support both teams."
India captain Rohit Sharma seemed to have qualms about losing the toss, saying, "I would have bowled first. It's (the preferred Indian playing eleven) working at this point of time, don't see any reason to change it. That's important in this WC, keeping everybody in a good space. The boys are in good shape, have good mental space as well and are enjoying the cricket. So far so good, we want to continue this momentum."
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Bangladesh: Liton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mamud, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman
(With agency inputs)
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