The injuries suffered by World Cup teams and its impact

• India:-

Image source — www.in.com

India have suffered the highest number of casualties. All 15 players came off a strenuous IPL campaign and despite having a relatively easy start to the campaign, the injuries have taken their toll.

The first blow was that of opener Shikhar Dhawan. The left-hander was in good touch and had scored a century in his previous game, but a thumb injury suffered by a bouncer proved to be serious and he was sent back. In his place, KL Rahul came in to open and Vijay Shankar filled the #4 slot. Dhawan and Rohit as a pair were instrumental in playing long partnerships and setting the platform for the middle order. While Rahul has done a good job in replacing Dhawan, his stay in the middle has not been for long, which has exposed the middle order.

During the game against Pakistan, India was dealt their second setback when Bhuvneshwar Kumar limped off midway through his over and could not continue. He was subsequently ruled off from the next two matches but lost his place to his replacement Shami, who has starred since.

Vijay Shankar was unfortunate to be ruled out of the World Cup to a toe injury. There was a lot of talk about his place in the starting XI but he was unable to come back strongly and answer his critics.

Image source — The indian express

• England:-

Image source — Hindustantimes.com

England’s only injury absentee was opening batsman Jason Roy. Roy and Bairstow are formidable at the top and have the best opening average together. In Roy’s absence, James Vince was asked to open but Vince struggled to match Roy’s impact. During Roy’s layoff, the English batting stuttered and they lost two consecutive matches. When Roy returned against India, he provided a blazing start and helped England post a big total.

South Africa:-

Image source — ythisnews.com

Before the start of the World Cup, South Africa were handed a mighty blow when Dale Steyn was ruled out with a shoulder injury. With Steyn missing, South Africa missed a strike bowler and were forced to bowl Lungi Ngidi in the powerplay.

Ngidi himself suffered a left hamstring injury after the second game but was back for the last few days, by the time he was back in the game, South Africa were almost out of the tournament. And even though Rabada was not injured, his IPL fatigue clearly showed in his WC performance.

• West Indies:-

Image source — news18.com

The Windies knew that Andre Russell’s knees were to be handed with care. Despite being fully fit throughout the IPL, Russell’s bowling was over-used by the West Indies and although it paid off early on, his knees eventually gave up and he was sent back. He has successfully undergone a surgery and is on the way to full recovery.

• Afghanistan:-

The biggest injury-related controversy was that of Mohammad Shahzad. The keeper was sent back after he reportedly failed a fitness test due to a knee injury, but a tearful Shahzad admitted that he was fully fit.

The only well performing teams who have not been bothered by injuries till now are Australia and New Zealand. Has the IPL workload taken a toll on world class players or is it the players’ fitness that comes under the scanner? Will we see any unfortunate injuries towards the business end of the tournament?

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Originally published at Sporcial.