India have two more matches remaining in the group phase, against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on July 2 and July 6 respectively, and need to win at least one to guarantee their semi-final spot.
This morning the BCCI sent out a statement saying Vijay would need three weeks to recover. Vijay “was struck on the left big toe whilst batting in the nets on June 19 in Southampton. He was able to play in an unrestricted manner in the following two matches against Afghanistan and West Indies. Following the match on June 27, the condition of his toe worsened and a CT scan showed he sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left big toe. The condition will require a minimum of three weeks to heal. The injury rules him out of the ongoing World Cup,” the statement said.
After making a good impression during the limited-overs series at the beginning of this year in Australia and New Zealand, followed by the home series against Australia in March, Vijay had jumped the queue to be part of the India’s 15-man World Cup squad, which was announced in April. MSK Prasad, India’s chairman of selectors, had said Vijay was an ideal choice because he was a three-dimensional cricketer: a good batsman, ideal for the No. 4 slot, a handy part-time seamer in helpful conditions, and a very good fielder.
The selectors still faced a fair bit of criticism, especially for leaving out Rishabh Pant, who has made a big impression in a still-young career with his explosive batting not just in T20 cricket, but also in Test cricket, since his debut in England last summer.
Pant was subsequently called in as Dhawan’s replacement, and stands to benefit from Vijay’s exit. Pant played at No. 4 against England and made a 29-ball 32.
