Hardik Pandya back at Team India camp, declared fit for match against New Zealand: Reports

In a key development, Team India's allrounder Hardik Pandya has been reportedly declared fit for the upcoming match against New Zealand on October 31. During India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match, Hardik Pandya hurt his shoulder in the first innings and did not come out to field for the 'Men in Blue'. BCCI media then informed that the 28-year-old cricketer was taken for a scan after receiving a blow on his shoulder. Now, sources in the known developments have informed ANI that Hardik Pandya is feeling better. 

 "There is no issue and he is already feeling good. It was just a precautionary scan and the team management didn't wish to take a chance as yesterday was only the first game of the tournament," the source told ANI. 

Hardik Pandya's inclusion yet again became a debatable topic when fans on social media and various cricket pundits outlined the absence of a sixth bowler in the Team India squad. Hardik Pandya could only manage to score 11 runs off eight deliveries which included two boundaries. He was dismissed by pacer Haris Rauf in the final over as India were restricted to 151/7 from their 20 overs, riding on a vital 57 from skipper Virat Kohli. In reply Pak captain Babar Azam (68*) and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan (79*) helped the Pakistan side in overhauling this target with more than two overs left to spare.

India vs New Zealand

After facing defeat against Pakistan, Virat Kohli & Co. will now lock horns with the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand in Dubai next Sunday, October 31. It is a must-win match for India to keep their chances of sealing a semis berth alive. Meanwhile, the inaugural edition's winners also have a lot of work to do as far as their Net Run Rate is concerned. After their bitter loss to Babar Azam & Co., India's NRR has gone down to -0.973, and therefore, they would be hoping to make amends when they face the BlackCaps next weekend.

Team India's T20 World Cup schedule

• October 24: India vs Pakistan (Babar Azam & Co win by 10 wickets) 
• October 31:  India vs New Zealand (Time 7:30 PM IST  Venue: Dubai)
• November 3: India vs Afghanistan (Time 7:30 PM IST  Venue: Abu Dhabi)
• November 5: India vs Scotland (Time 7:30 PM IST  Venue: Dubai)
• November 8:  India vs Namibia (Time 7:30 PM IST  Venue: Dubai)

Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami

Reserves: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel

(Image: PTI)