The Indian team has been dealt a severe blow to their ICC World Cup 2019 chances as opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament entirely after he fractured his left thumb during the match against Australia.

Dhawan scored a brilliant century against the reigning World Champions in a match that India won, but a Pat Cummins bouncer had hurt his thumb early in the innings. He continued the innings after treatment, but scans after the innings showed a fracture of the thumb and he was ruled out for 2-3 weeks.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul moved upto the opening position against Pakistan and scored a half-century with Vijay Shankar coming in for Dhawan.

Rishabh Pant was called in from India as a cover for the injured opener who was monitored by the medical staff of the Indian team and it was hoped that Dhawan would recover for the later stages of the World Cup despite missing 2-3 matches. BCCI confirmed that Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament completely and that Pant will officially replace him in the Indian squad.

(Inputs BCCI)