ICC World Cup 2023: Will Hardik Pandya play against Sri Lanka on November 2?

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Indian cricket team continued their winning run at the ICC World Cup 2023 as they dismantled England by 100 runs on Sunday. Pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya was absent on the occasion once again as the player continued to recover from an ankle injury.

But will he be back in the team for the next game against Sri Lanka on November 2 and be available for selection, this is a question that fans want answers to. Hardik Pandya has in fact missed the last two games, including the New Zealand game, as he slipped while bowling against Bangladesh.

Now Times of India has reported that the 30-year-old T20 captain is likely to join the team in Mumbai, which will host the India vs Sri Lanka match at the Wankhede Stadium on November 2. The report further added that his match fitness remains a concern.

"Yes, Hardik Pandya, who is presently recuperating at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, will join the team in Mumbai. Right now, we can't be sure if he will play against Sri Lanka, but he's slated to join the team," a reliable source told TOI.

Hardik Pandya hurt his ankle while bowling on October 19 against Bangladesh. To fill the void left in the line-up, skipper Rohit Sharma included middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Mohammed Shami.

Shami has been a standout performer with nine wickets in two games while Suryakumar scored a crucial 49 against England the other day, making it a selection headache for the skipper as ICC World Cup 2023 is moving towards the knockout stages. As far as Hardik Pandya's performance is concerned, the all-rounder has taken five wickets in four games while scoring just 11 runs with the bat.

India are currently sitting top of the table in the round-robin stages with six wins in six games and have more or less sealed their semifinal berth with three matches left to play. South Africa (November 5) and the Netherlands (November 12) are the other two upcoming matches.