Kane Williamson. (Photo Source: Instagram/kanekane_s_w)
Star India batter Virat Kohli has wished a speedy recovery to New Zealand’s white-ball captain Kane Williamson as the latter shared images of him indulging in work out on Tuesday, May 2. Williamson injured his knee during the opening game of the IPL 2023 between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on March 31 while trying to save a six.
Following his injury, the New Zealand star returned home immediately and was seen walking with crutches. The 32-year-old has undergone a successful surgery and is currently in rehab with his knee still in a brace. He has shared some photos where he could be seen sweating it out in the gym on one leg on his Instagram account. The post attracted a comment from Kohli who hoped for his quick recovery and commented, “Get well soon my brother.”
According to reports, Williamson has been ruled out of the ODI World Cup 2023 scheduled to take place in India during October-November. However, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead feels that there’s still hope for him to play in the marquee tournament.
The Kiwi coach is even keen on taking Williamson to World Cup even if he fails to get fit on time, as a mentor. Notably, under his leadership, New Zealand finished as runner-ups in the 2019 edition as they lost the coveted trophy to England in the final on ‘boundary count’.
Following his injury during the opening game of IPL, Gujarat Titans signed Dasun Shanaka as his replacement who’s yet to play his first game in the tournament. Meanwhile, Williamson’s absence hasn’t affected Gujarat much as they’re on the top of the points table with six wins from eight games.
The defending champions are on a roll as they have won their last three fixtures against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively. The Hardik Pandya-led side will face Delhi Capitals in their next fixture on Tuesday, May 02 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.