Asia Cup 2018: 3 possible replacements for Hardik Pandya
India's Asia Cup campaign did not start on a very positive note as they fought hard for a narrow victory against Hong Kong. The men in blue, however, returned to their best when it was needed the most - in a game against arch-rivals Pakistan. A game that was posed to be an 'edge of the seat thriller' became a dull one-sided contest as Rohit Sharma's men outclassed their rivals in every department.
However, amidst all the ecstasy, India have got a headache in the form of Hardik Pandya. The swashbuckling all-rounder, who is a crucial member of the team, was injured in the game while he was finishing up his fifth over. MRI scan reports will reveal details of his injury, but judging by the manner he was carried off the ground, it looked very serious and Hardik can very well be out of the competition.
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If that is the case, Rohit Sharma needs to find a perfect replacement and he needs to do it quickly as his team will be taking on a high-flying Bangladesh after a day's rest. Let us have a look at some players from the Asia Cup squad who can replace Pandya.
#3 Axar Patel
India does not possess a repertoire of quality all-rounders, and hence, finding an all-rounder as a replacement for Hardik Pandya can be a tough job. Axar Patel can be the likely straight swap Shastri and Sharma might be looking for. The job of the fifth bowler was expected to be done by Pandya and Kedar Jadhav, but now that the former is injured, India might look for someone who can bowl a good chunk of overs.
Axar Patel has played 38 ODIs for India and is five wickets away from 50 ODI wickets. He has a highly impressive economy rate of slightly over four runs per over. Speaking of his batting ability, he has scored 181 runs in ODI cricket and has a strike rate of nearly 100.