Hardik has already missed India's last two games against New Zealand and England.
The all-rounder sustained an ankle injury during India’s match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19. As a result, he checked into the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for rehabilitation and missed out on the last two games against New Zealand and England.
On the eve of India’s World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that Hardik’s recovery process at the NCA was 'very positive' but he refrained from mentioning a date on the all-rounder's return.
"It's been very positive, I can't call it rehab. But whatever he has gone through, the procedures at the NCA, it's been quite positive," Rohit said, confirming that Hardik won't be available for selection against Sri Lanka on November 2.
"But it's that kind of an injury where we have to see every day how much he has recovered and how many percent fit he is. We have to constantly monitor how much he is bowling and how much he is batting. On a day-to-day basis, we have to take that call because, in the World Cup, there is a match every 3-4 days. We are looking into that as well. With the way his recovery is progressing, we will hopefully see him on the field soon. That's all I can say now," he added.
According to reports, Hardik Pandya might sit out versus South Africa in Kolkata on November 5 as well but is expected to return to action in India's final league match against Netherlands in Bangalore on November 12.
In his absence, India dropped all-rounder Shardul Thakur from the playing XI and opted to go with a specialist batter and pacer in Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammad Shami respectively.
Both Shami and Surya have left a mark with their performances in the last two games. While Shami claimed a total of nine wickets, Surya registered scores of 2 and 49.
(India Today Inputs)