Birmingham: India all-rounder Krunal Pandya’s Royal London One-Day Cup stint with Warwickshire has been cut short due to a groin injury he picked during the match against Nottinghamshire on August 17.
Pandya picked up the injury while making 37 runs and didn’t return to the field for the second innings. He didn’t take part in Warwickshire’s win over Durham on Sunday and also missed the match against Middlesex.
Following consultation with doctors, Pandya is likely to miss three weeks of cricketing action, therefore not making him available for selection should Warwickshire reach the knockout stages.
Pandya has played five ODIs and 19 T20Is so far, with his last national appearance coming in white-ball series against Sri Lanka in July 2021.
“It’s frustrating to lose Krunal for the remainder of the tournament, but he leaves the club with our very best wishes. Krunal was an excellent role model around the group and I’m sure the younger members of the squad will have learnt a lot from him on and off the pitch,” said Paul Farbrace, Director of Cricket at Warwickshire.
In five Royal London One-Day matches, Pandya, 31, scored 134 runs at an average of 33.50, including an 82-ball 74 in the tied match against Surrey at The Oval. He also picked nine wickets at an average of 25 with his left-arm spin bowling, including consecutive three-wicket hauls against Sussex and Leicestershire.
“Due to the short turnaround, we won’t be signing a replacement, however, I’m incredibly excited to see our squad build on Sunday’s excellent win over Durham,” added Farbrace.
Krunal was one of two Indian players signed by Warwickshire in the ongoing English county season. While he was available for 50-over matches, pacer Mohammed Siraj has been signed up for the last three matches of the County Championship season in Division 1 and is scheduled to join the side after participating in India’s 3-0 ODI series triumph over Zimbabwe.
–IANS