Shikhar Dhawan's World Cup was prematurely ended after the India opener was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a fractured thumb, the Indian cricket board said on Wednesday. Dhawan was smacked on his thumb by a rising Pat Cummins delivery in the June 9 match against Australia but the left-hander batted through pain to hit a match-winning century at the Oval. England has been a happy hunting ground for Dhawan and though fellow Delhi left-hander Rishabh Pant was flown in as a cover, assistant coach Sanjay Bangar had said the opener was so "precious" that the team were ready to wait for him to recover. Dhawan missed out the matches against New Zealand, which was washed out, and Pakistan before the team finally gave up. "Shikhar Dhawan has been diagnosed with a fracture of the first metacarpal on his left hand...," BCCI said in a statement. "Following several specialist opinions, he will remain in a cast until the middle of July and therefore will not be available for the remainder of the World Cup." In Dhawan's absence, KL Rahul, originally picked to play at No. 4, joined Rohit Sharma in a 136-run opening stand in their comprehensive victory against Pakistan. "We've written to ICC and requested for Rishabh Pant as replacement," team manager Sunil Subramaniam told reporters. An emotional Dhawan posted a video on Twitter and expressed his disappointment. "I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19," the 33-year-old wrote. "Unfortunately, the thumb won't recover on time. But the show must go on... I'm grateful for all the love & support from my teammates, cricket lovers & our entire nation." Pant has played only five One-Day Internationals but has won admirers with his six-hitting ability, which prompted many to question the 21-year-old's exclusion from the squad in the first place. Dhawan's absence had left India without a southpaw in their top order, robbing them a left-right combination, and Pant is expected to fill that void. India have won three of their four games, while the other, against New Zealand, was washed out. Virat Kohli's men play Afghanistan next on Saturday at The Rose Bowl. — Reuters
