"I got injections done in my ankle in three places"- Hardik Pandya on his injury during India's 2023 World Cup campaign

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the remainder of India's 2023 World Cup campaign when he injured his ankle during their game against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19.

Pandya tried to stop a delivery on his follow-through and fell awkwardly on his left ankle. While the injury seemed serious, Pandya claimed he had told the team management that he would do anything needed to get back as soon as possible.

Speaking to Star Sports, Hardik Pandya opened up on how he tried to recover from the injury quickly:

"I had prepared for the World Cup for a year. It was a freak injury that was said to be for 25 days which means I would miss the rest of the World Cup, but I pushed. I told the management I would return in five days. I got injections done in my ankle in three places. I had to remove blood from my ankle because of the swelling."

Being a seam-bowling all-rounder, Hardik gave India tremendous balance and his injury meant that they had to make two changes to their side. Batter Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Mohammed Shami then made their way into the playing XI.

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Hardik Pandya on aggravating his injury

While Hardik Pandya was supposed to recover from his injury in just over three weeks, the all-rounder aggravated his swollen ankle trying to get back to cricketing action as soon as possible.

However, he doesn't regret trying that because he wanted to give his best for India. He stated:

"At one point I knew that if I kept pushing I could be injured for a long time, but that was just not the answer for me. Even if there was one percent chance that I could be with the team, I would do it. I had a reoccurrence which eventually became a three-month injury."

Hardik Pandya has been out of action for India ever since his injury. However, he did take part in the DY Patil T20 league recently and will lead the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024 season.

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