SOUTHAMPTON: India opener Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup with a fractured finger, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced Wednesday.

The in-form batsman suffered the break while facing Australia's Pat Cummins in India's second match of the tournament at the Oval on June 9.

Dhawan carried on batting and scored a century to earn the man-of-the-match award as India beat the reigning champions by 36 runs.

But the 33-year-old left-hander did not field and has not featured in the World Cup since his century at Surrey's headquarters in south London.

Rishabh Pant, a dynamic batsman and wicketkeeper, is set to replace Dhawan in India's squad ahead of their match against Afghanistan at Southampton on Saturday.

"Shikhar Dhawan has been diagnosed with a fracture of the first metacarpal on his left hand following a ball impact injury during the team's match versus Australia at the Oval," said a statement on the BCCI's Twitter feed.

"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 #CWC19," the statement added. —AFP