World Cup 2019: Vijay Shankar suffers injury scare ahead of Afghanistan clash

What's the story?

All-rounder Vijay Shankar is the latest member of the Indian team to suffer an injury scare. The 28-year-old missed Thursday's training session due to a toe injury he had suffered the previous day.

In case you didn't know...

Vijay Shankar was drafted into India's playing XI for the game against Pakistan, replacing Shikhar Dhawan who was forced out due to a thumb injury. Shankar fared decently on his World Cup debut, scoring a run-a-ball 15 and picking up two wickets.

With Dhawan ruled out for the foreseeable future and Bhuvneshwar Kumar set to sit out a few games due to a hamstring injury, the injury scare to Vijay Shankar will definitely be a matter of concern for the Indian team heading into the business end of the competition.

The heart of the matter

During Wednesday's training session, which was hampered by rain, Vijay Shankar was struck on the toe by a yorker delivered by Jasprit Bumrah. The 28-year-old appeared to be in severe pain and was forced to miss the training session on Thursday.

He was seen walking around in slippers with a slight limp and could only participate in a few basic exercises while the other members of the team continued their preparations for the game on Saturday.

A source close to Team India informed PTI that the injury is not too severe and there is nothing to worry about.

Yes, Vijay was in pain but it subsided by the evening. Hopefully, there’s nothing scary.

All this points to the fact that Rishabh Pant could make his World Cup debut on Saturday.

What's next?

The Indian team will take on Afghanistan on Saturday at Southampton. Coming off a convincing victory against Pakistan, Virat Kohli's men are the clear favorites heading into this game and should be able to notch up another victory.

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