London [UK], Jun 11 (ANI): Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan, who suffered a blow to his thumb in the match against Australia on June 9, may be ruled out for at least a week following a fracture of his thumb.

There are speculations that young opening batsman Rishab Pant may be flown in as Dhawan's replacement.

Accordinvg to ESPN cricinfo, Dhawan, who is believed to have suffered a hairline on his left thumb, has gone to Leeds to undergo scans and a final word on the status of the injury is likely to emerge later today. Dhawan scored a century against Australia on Sunday at the Oval in London. He is likely to be out of action for the matches against New Zealand and Pakistan.

According to a BCCI official, the Indian selectors have not yet named any replacement. It is understood they want to wait for the full diagnosis and results of Dhawan's medical tests, including the likely recovery time, before they take a decision on whether to retain him or ask for a replacement.

BCCI said Dhawan will be under observation.

At least three Indian selectors - M S K Prasad (chairman) along with Sarandeep Singh and Devang Gandhi - are travelling with the Indian squad.

Former England player Kevin Pietersen on Tuesday tweeted that if Dhawan is injured and cannot take part in World Cup, then wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant should be included in the World cup squad.

"Shikha OUT the World Cup. Get Pant on the plane ASAP. KL Rahul to open and Pant at number 4," Pietersen tweeted.

However, when asked whether anyone is flying from India to the UK, BCCI sources said "We are waiting for the confirmation on Dhawan. No one is flying from India as of now".

Rishabh Pant was originally omitted from the World Cup squad and at the time of naming the squad, chief selector MSK Prasad had said Dinesh Karthik has been given a nod ahead of Pant due to his wicket-keeping abilities.

"It's definitely a case where we debated for long. We all felt that either Pant or Karthik will come in the playing XI if Dhoni is injured. We all felt if the injury happens in the semi-finals, wicket-keeping also matters, so that is the reason why we went for Karthik instead of Pant," Prasad, the Chairman of selectors, had told reporters at the time of announcing the squad.

Pant scored 488 runs from 16 matches for Delhi Capitals in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). He was instrumental in taking his team to the playoff stages of the tournament.

The player possesses big hitting skills but his wicket-keeping abilities have always come under scrutiny. However, he worked hard to improve his skills and showed impressive work behind the stumps in IPL.

India has played two matches in the World Cup so far and they have registered wins against both South Africa and Australia.

The Men in Blue next take on New Zealand on June 13. (ANI)