Hardik Pandya’s Shot Hits Mohammed Siraj’s Knee: India’s Injury Scare Before SA Clash

Siraj’s Knee India’s Injury

India enters the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 stage against South Africa on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad carrying a fresh injury concern — Mohammed Siraj was struck on his left knee by a powerful shot from Hardik Pandya during a net session, hobbling out of the Ahmedabad training ground and sending alarm bells through the Indian camp.

How the Incident Unfolded

During a practice session at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday evening, Siraj was bowling in the nets to Hardik Pandya. Pandya connected with a fierce drive that hit Siraj flush on the left knee. Multiple reporters present at the venue noted that Siraj was visibly reeling in pain and limped off the ground. The incident was captured on video by RevSportz, showing Siraj clearly struggling to walk normally after absorbing the blow.​

The good news, however, came shortly after. According to Free Press Journal, the injury does not appear to be serious. Team physios applied a pain-relieving spray on his knee, and Siraj returned to bowl in the nets after a brief stoppage, though he was not at 100 per cent. As of now, the BCCI has issued no official update on the severity of the injury, leaving the medical situation in a watch-and-wait position ahead of Sunday’s match.

Siraj’s Troubled Tournament So Far

This incident adds another chapter to an already complicated tournament for Siraj. He was never supposed to be part of the original squad in the first place — he received a last-minute call-up only after Harshit Rana was ruled out with a knee injury sustained in a warm-up match against South Africa earlier in February. The irony of Siraj now suffering a knee scare himself, ahead of a match against the very same opponent that forced Rana’s exit, is not lost on cricket watchers.

Siraj played in India’s opening group-stage match against the USA and delivered an excellent performance, taking three wickets while conceding just 29 runs. However, he was not picked for any of the subsequent group matches against Namibia, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, with the team management preferring Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh in his place. The critical point here is that Siraj is the only backup pace bowler in India’s 15-member squad — if he is unavailable, there is no like-for-like replacement.

India’s Wider Fitness Nightmare

Siraj’s knee scare sits within a broader pattern of fitness problems that have followed India throughout this tournament. Jasprit Bumrah missed one match due to illness. Abhishek Sharma also sat out a game due to health issues. Washington Sundar was down with illness earlier in the competition as well. The Indian management has had to rotate and adjust their lineup repeatedly, and with the Super 8 stage raising the stakes dramatically, any further disruption to the pace bowling unit would be a significant concern.

The fitness pattern becomes even more worrying given the nature of the Ahmedabad surface. ESPN noted that the night games at Narendra Modi Stadium have been played on black-soil pitches — surfaces that are not pace-friendly and tend to assist slower bowlers more. This means the direct impact of Siraj’s availability or absence on India’s XI strategy is relatively limited, but as the only backup seamer in the squad, his fitness remains an insurance policy the team cannot afford to tear up.​

The Bigger Picture: A Rematch of the 2024 Final

This Super 8 encounter is framed as much more than a group-stage point accumulation exercise — it is a rematch of the T20 World Cup 2024 final, which India won in Barbados. Both teams arrive at the Super 8 stage unbeaten. The winner of Sunday’s match will take a giant stride towards securing a semi-final berth, while the loser will be left with two successive must-win games to stay alive.​

India hold a strong historical edge, with 21 wins from 35 T20 Internationals against South Africa and a 5-2 record specifically in T20 World Cup encounters. South Africa, however, have a crucial acclimatisation advantage at this venue — they played three of their four group-stage matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India, while no strangers to the stadium, played their group matches in Mumbai and other venues, meaning South Africa arrive more attuned to the specific conditions on offer this Sunday.​​

Bowling Coach Morkel Backs Varun Chakravarthy

Even with the Siraj fitness cloud hanging over the camp, India’s bowling strategy for the South Africa match appears to have been largely built around spin. Bowling coach Morne Morkel — himself a South African and a familiar face in Ahmedabad — threw his full support behind Varun Chakravarthy at the pre-match press conference, calling him a “go-to guy” alongside Bumrah.

Morkel described Chakravarthy as a consistent wicket-taking threat both during and before the tournament, but was careful to emphasise that the mystery spinner’s effectiveness depends heavily on the pressure generated by the rest of the attack. “He’s done really well in the World Cup so far, even before the World Cup. He’s a go-to guy for us with Bumrah and the other bowlers who can take wickets,” Morkel said. The suggestion is clear: India plan to use Bumrah and Chakravarthy as their twin attacking threats, with Arshdeep Singh handling the powerplay and death roles, and Siraj used only if his fitness is confirmed.

Pitch and Conditions

The black-soil surface at Narendra Modi Stadium for this match is expected to play slow and low — not the pace-friendly, bouncy track that benefits Siraj’s natural strengths. Night games at this venue in the current tournament have produced high-scoring chases, meaning the toss will again be critical. Bowling coach Morkel also acknowledged that Indian batters have struggled against spin on the surfaces used in this World Cup, admitting that “it was not the easiest wickets to hit the ball” and pointing to the Mumbai match as a cautionary example. South Africa’s own spin-heavy middle period, led by Keshav Maharaj and supported by part-time spinners, will be looking to exploit exactly that weakness if India bat first.

Probable Playing XIs

The predicted India XI features Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj — though Siraj’s inclusion remains subject to his fitness clearance from the medical team.​

South Africa are expected to field Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Gerald Coetzee. Their pace attack — Rabada, Nortje, and Jansen — will be the biggest test India’s top order has faced in this tournament, particularly on a surface that may not help pace but will certainly help the ball move in the early overs under Ahmedabad’s night-time conditions.