T20 WC 2024: Rohit Sharma suffers thumb injury during practice ahead of India vs Pakistan - Cricket Winner

After Pakistan’s shock defeat to the USA on Thursday in Dallas, which left their T20 World Cup hopes in tatters, the Babar Azam-led side will look to regroup and bounce back stronger in the next game against arch-rivals India on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team, on the other hand, will be hoping to almost seal their ticket for the Super 8 stage when they face Pakistan in New York in their second World Cup game, having beaten Ireland earlier this week.

Rohit Sharma’s injury woes

However, it is yet to be confirmed whether India captain Rohit Sharma will be playing the blockbuster game against Pakistan, having injured his hand during the match against Ireland. On Wednesday, his knock was cut short following a blow on his upper arm from a delivery by pacer Josh Little. He left the field after a few overs, retired hurt, having scored an unbeaten 52 off 37. He later opened up on the injury in the post-match presentation, saying, “It was a sore arm.”

On Friday, as India looked to prepare for the match against Pakistan in New York, Rohit suffered yet another injury scare as he was hit on the thumb, as revealed by RevSportz in their discussion on the training session. The veteran opener was up against Sri Lankan throwdown specialist Nuwan in the nets when the ball bounced awkwardly and hit him in the hand. He was immediately attended to, but resumed batting shortly after from the other end of the practice net, but only for a few minutes before leaving.

There is yet no official confirmation from the BCCI on Rohit’s injury update, but if he misses the game, Hardik Pandya, by virtue of being the vice-captain, will lead India in the match against Pakistan, while Yashasvi Jaiswal will likely replace him in the opening position.

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Crucial game for both teams

The game against Pakistan will be crucial in determining the equation for the Super 8 from Group A of the T20 World Cup. The USA looks favourites to make the next round, having won against Canada and Pakistan. Moreover, if Pakistan loses, it will be all over for the 2009 champions given that Canada managed to stun Ireland on Friday in their second group game.

This sets the stage for a high-stakes encounter between India and Pakistan, with both teams eager to secure their positions in the tournament’s next stage.