Nottingham: India have suffered a major blow as their in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the 2019 World Cup for two to three weeks with an injury.
Dhawan received a thumb injury while playing 117 runs knock against Australia at The Oval on Sunday which virtually ruled him out of the World Cup.
Also Read: Three probable who can replace Dhawan in WC squad
Notwithstanding, Dhawan's absence will break the balance of the Indian team that defeated South Africa and Australia in ICC's showpiece event.
Shikhar Dhawan suffered thumb injury against Australia. Now, it is expected that KL Rahul to open the innings in India's upcoming fixture against New Zealand, but the question is who will fill the void of No. 4. If the sources in the BCCI are to be believed Dhoni is going to be promoted at No. 4 while Dinesh Karthik will a make a cut in the XI as a middle-order batsman to keep the balance of the team intact.
The spot of No. 4 has been a debatable subject for quite some time. However, the debate seemed to have died down once Rahul's played a few promising innings at the spot in the warm-ups going into the World Cup.
KL Rahul is expected to open the innings against New Zealand. Now, Dhawan's injury once again left the spot vacant as Rahul is the only other batsman in the squad who has experience of opening the innings. Moreover, he has been selected in the squad as a back-up opener.
Though Vijay Shankar is India's designated No. 4 for the World Cup he lacks the ability to play as a lower-order batsman. At the same time, he failed to impress team management after getting dismissed for mere two runs in the warm-up match against Bangladesh.
Also Read: Here's why Team India can't replace injured Dhawan
Hence, Dhoni will be promoted to No. 4 spot while Karthik could come to bat at No. 5 or 6.
Given the fact that Karthik is a worthy finisher, he is being considered for New Zealand match. He and Kedar Jadhav will definitely add strength to India's lower-middle order.
