India suffered a major blow in their World Cup match against Pakistan on Sunday as fast-bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar limped off the field with a hamstring injury.
The right-arm pacer bowled the fourth delivery of the fifth over and pulled up immediately. He walked off and the Indian team management confirmed that he had tightness in his left hamstring and wouldn’t take no further part in the match.
Live updates of the India vs Pakistan World Cup match
There could have been a couple of reasons why the 29-year-old suffered the injury. Firstly, the landing area at the crease seemed unstable and he had a look at it immediately after he hurt himself. The umpires then asked the ground-staff to cover that area with sawdust.
Secondly, the match was hampered by inclement weather and the players had to walk off a couple of times. That may have led to the pacer not warming up properly and his muscles becoming tight.
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Kumar’s injury is a serious cause of concern for Virat Kohli and Co. The two-time champions are already without the services of seasoned opener Shikhar Dhawan and can’t afford to lose their strike bowler.
India dominated the first half of the match against arch-rivals Pakistan. Vice-captain Rohit Sharma slammed a 113-ball 140 to delight the thousands of fans at Old Trafford in Manchester. The 1983 and 2011 champions finished with a mammoth 336/5 in 50 overs.
