Yuvraj Singh could be out of World T20, Pandey comes in as cover

ByArun S Kaimal, SportsCafe Editor

03/29/2016

Despite winning the match against Australia on Sunday, India suffered a major blow in the form of Yuvraj Singh’s injury. Scans and reports done on Monday confirmed that the southpaw might miss the rest of the World Cup, and batsman Manish Pandey will join the camp as his replacement.

In what was a virtual knockout game, Yuvraj Singh’s 18-ball-21 helped steady the ship for India after early jitters. But in the very early stage of his innings, the left-hander felt cramps around his ankle and could barely run. The ankle injury was caused when Yuvi tripped while completing a run and never really recovered from that.

The fact that he continued to play and run might have worsened his condition. Yuvraj has been a key component of the side since his comeback to the T20 side. The left-armer also picked up a wicket, dismissing Australia captain Steve Smith with his first ball.

Manish Pandey meanwhile might be feeling hopeful after missing out on the squad earlier this year. The 26-year old batsman has been looking for a window to showcase his talents, just like he did in Australia with a swashbuckling century. Pandey has 1,571 runs in the Indian Premier League in 72 innings at an average of 25.34.

While the call-up for Pandey is a standby call, there is every possibility that the Nainital-born player can be in the starting lineup for the semi. It will be interesting to see what team takes the field on Thursday as Dhoni has all the tough decisions to make.

India take on West Indies at the Wankhede in Mumbai on 31 March to earn a place in the final.