World Cup 2019: Vijay Shankar ruled out of the tournament due to toe injury; replacement named

Another injury blow for India in the middle of the World Cup.

Team India lost a crucial game against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday and their wait to confirm a semi-final spot extended. They made one change to the line-up leaving out Vijay Shankar for Rishabh Pant as Virat Kohli stated that the former wasn’t playing due to a toe niggle. Many doubted the injury as Shankar was seen carrying the drinks for the team during the match. However, he has been ruled out of the tournament due to the same injury now.

India has been hit with various injuries in this World Cup and Shankar is the new name in the list now. This also comes as a huge blow for the team as the Indian captain had spoken highly of Shankar in the press conference ahead of the England clash. While Shikhar Dhawan has already been ruled out of the event, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has missed three matches now due to a hamstring injury. There is still no update on his recovery either.

Vijay Shankar played three matches in the tournament for India and scored 58 runs at an average of 29. He also batted at number four on two occasions but couldn’t make a significant impact. With the ball, the all-rounder accounted for two wickets and bowled only against Pakistan when Bhuvi walked off the field due to injury.

Mayank Agarwal to replace Shankar

Interestingly, Mayank Agarwal is set to replace Vijay Shankar in the line-up according to ESPNCricinfo which clearly indicates that India is in need of a decent opener. KL Rahul hasn’t done much replacing Shikhar Dhawan and bagged a nine-ball duck in a mammoth chase against England.

India is in need of a batsman who will force the pace at the start and Mayank Agarwal has the ability to do the same. This is a great opportunity for Mayank as he can very well play against Bangladesh if he reaches England in time ahead of the game. Even if he misses out, the team management will surely include him for Sri Lanka clash on July 6.