(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Injured paceman Ishant Sharma has been ruled out of the Cricket World Cup and will be replaced in the India squad by Mohit Sharma.
The loss of the experienced pace spearhead is a serious setback for defending champion India a week out from its World Cup opener against Pakistan in Adelaide.
The International Cricket Council confirmed on Sunday, just hours before India's warmup match against Australia in Adelaide, that it had approved Mohit Sharma as the replacement.
India, which is expected to vie for top spot in Pool B with South Africa, hasn't won a competitive match in its first two months in Australia, including a 2-0 loss in the four-test series and a winless campaign in the ODI tri-series against Australia and England.
The 26-year-old Ishant Sharma has played 61 ODIs for India, taking 106 wickets at an average of 31.25 and an economy rate of 5.69. He hasn't played any cricket since the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, when he injured his knee.
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni avoided questions about the fitness of Ishant Sharma as well as other injured players Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja during a news conference on Saturday. The Press Trust of India reported overnight that Ishant Sharma had been ruled out.
The 26-year-old Mohit Sharma, who has taken 10 wickets in 12 ODIs, was traveling with the India squad in Australia after the tri-series.
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