"India is a fantastic team and has lots of backup" - Sourav Ganguly on Hardik Pandya's absence for England clash of 2023 World Cup

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly brushed aside worries regarding Hardik Pandya's absence for the England clash in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29.

Hardik suffered a left ankle injury while attempting to stop the ball on his follow-through against Bangladesh, which was further upgraded to a ligament tear. Pandya missed the following New Zealand game and is set to miss the England clash and probably a few more matches.

Speaking from the sidelines of the Bangladesh-Netherlands match at the Eden Gardens, Ganguly was unperturbed by Hardik's absence and felt India's real test will come in the knockout stages.

"India is a fantastic team and has lots of backup," Sourav Ganguly said. "I had initially chosen England for the semi-finals, but their performance has been below expectations. The championship is still a long way off.

"The league stage is relatively easier, but the real challenge lies in the knockout stage. Australia and South Africa are both strong teams that could potentially pose a challenge to India."

While there was a reasonable turnout for the first game in Kolkata, Ganguly expects an even bigger crowd for the India-South Africa and the Pakistan-Bangladesh clashes next week.

"Eden Gardens always draws in large crowds," Ganguly added. "It's a fantastic venue with an incredible atmosphere. I expect the India vs South Africa match to attract even more spectators. It's wonderful to see so many fans from Bangladesh here. I anticipate an even larger turnout for the Pakistan vs Bangladesh match."

India has been in red-hot form, winning all five games to begin their World Cup campaign. Meanwhile, England have been the shock of the tournament, with paltry performances pushing them to the bottom of the points table with a lone win and four losses.

---

"I'm not sure why Tamim isn't playing" - Sourav Ganguly

Tamim Iqbal's absence has been hugely felt in the World Cup.

Sourav Ganguly also expressed his surprise at the absence of Tamim Iqbal for the 2023 World Cup. Following the well-documented controversy involving skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, the latter was left out of the Bangladesh squad.

The move has backfired as the Tigers are languishing second to bottom on the points table, with the solitary win in six games.

"I'm not sure why Tamim isn't playing. While one player's absence doesn't necessarily affect the entire team's performance, Tamim is a talented player and his absence is noticeable. Bangladesh is a developing cricket nation and they're striving to improve their performance," Ganguly said.

Bangladesh suffered an embarrassing defeat, their fifth consecutive, to the Netherlands by 87 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. It almost certainly eliminates their chances of finishing in the top four.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan admitted that the Tamim Iqbal episode just before the tournament has likely affected the team's performance. The southpaw was an integral part of all of Bangladesh's four ODI World Cup campaigns from 2007 to 2019.