Ishan Kishan or Surykaumar Yadav? Rahul Dravid answers query on who will replace Hardik Pandya for 2023 World Cup match against New Zealand 

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has stated that either Ishan Kishan or Suryakumar Yadav could replace Hardik Pandya for the 2023 World Cup match against New Zealand depending on the kind of batter they want in the playing XI.

India will take on New Zealand at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday. The Men in Blue will be without the services of Pandya for the game. The all-rounder twisted his ankle during the game against Bangladesh while trying to stop a drive from Litton Das in his follow-through with his leg.

Pandya limped off the field and was later ruled out of the match against New Zealand. At a pre-match press conference on Saturday, Dravid did not confirm who will replace the all-rounder for the game against the Kiwis. Instead, he explained that India will opt for Suryakumar if they want an enforcer and will go for Kishan if they need someone to bat up the order.

"I mean it is nice to have Ishan and he's been playing well. He is a left-hander. But again, Surya has also come into some great form against Australia, as we saw played a couple of fantastic innings. Absolutely fantastic player against spin, as we know; left arm spin or off spin, or any kind of spin, for that matter. Plus, the role may be for a middle overs role, so we just have to see which one," Dravid said.

"We want to be pretty clear about the kind of roles that people can play. If you're looking for someone who might be look to be a bit of an enforcer for us in the lower middle order Surya is certainly someone who can do that,” he added.

"If you're looking for someone a little bit higher up the order, then maybe we might go with Ishan," the head coach concluded.

Kishan opened with Rohit Sharma in the first two matches of the World Cup as Shubman Gill was unavailable due to illness. The left-handed batter registered a duck against Australia before scoring 47 against Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Suryakumar scored two fifties in the ODI series against Australia ahead of the World Cup.

---

Kishan stung by bee, injury scare for Suryakumar

Incidentally, both Kishan and Suryakumar had to cut short their respective net sessions on Saturday in Dharamsala.

Kishan was stung by a bee and rushed out of the nets. According to reports, the opening batter was attended by physios after which he left the training facility while clutching his neck.

As for Suryakumar, he was hit on the right wrist. He too left the practice session clutching his right wrist and was offered an ice pack by the physio.