Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan posted an emotional video on his social media accounts, just a few hours after he was ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with a fractured thumb.
The stylish left-handed batsman suffered the injury while facing Australia’s Pat Cummins in India’s second match of the tournament at the Oval on June 9.
Dhawan carried on batting and scored a century to earn the man-of-the-match award as India beat the defending champions by 36 runs. But the 33-year-old southpaw did not field and has not featured in the ongoing World Cup since his century at Surrey’s headquarters in London.
On Tuesday, in a 54 second-long video, Dhawan spoke about the extent of his injury and urged fans to keep on supporting the Indian team as they look to reclaim the trophy and bring it back home for the third time.
“I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19. Unfortunately, the thumb won’t recover on time. But the show must go on.. I’m grateful for all the love & support from my teammates, cricket lovers & our entire nation. Jai Hind!” Dhawan wrote on the post.
“Unfortunately my thumb won’t be recovering on time, I really wanted to play the World Cup and represent my country. Now it’s time for me to go back, recover well and be ready for the next action.
“I’m sure the boys are doing a great job at the moment and they are going to win the World Cup. Keep praying for us and keep supporting us, your support and prayers are very important and very dear to us. Thank you again for all your support and love,” Dhawan said in the video.
I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19. Unfortunately, the thumb won’t recover on time. But the show must go on.. I'm grateful for all the love & support from my team mates, cricket lovers & our entire nation. Jai Hind!🙏 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/zx8Ihm3051
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 19, 2019
Rishabh Pant, a dynamic batsman and wicketkeeper, is set to replace Dhawan in India’s squad ahead of their match against Afghanistan at Southampton on Saturday.
